Solemn procession guides fallen sheriff’s deputy’s remains to medical examiner’s office
The body of fallen Deputy Dominique “Dom” Calata was taken to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s office Saturday afternoon by his fellow Pierce County Sheriff’s Department officers.
A long line of law enforcement officers escorted Calata’s remains from St. Joseph Hospital, where he died Wednesday.
Calata, 35, and Sgt. Rich Scaniffe were shot during a SWAT operation in Spanaway Tuesday. Calata died Wednesday from his injuries.
Using a walker and some assistance, Scaniffe, 45, walked out of St. Joseph Medical Center on Friday.
PROCESSION
On Saturday, a line of emergency vehicles drove down Yakima Avenue to South 38th Street and turned onto Pacific Avenue.
Police from a variety of agencies held back traffic at key points. A fire truck blocked one intersection.
Lakewood Police Sgt. Mark Eakes stepped from his vehicle and saluted as the SWAT team’s armored tactical vehicle, carrying Calata’s remains, made the turn from South 38th to Pacific. At least 15 officers in tactical gear hung from its sides.
Outside the medical examiner’s office a small crowd had formed. Several people held a banner reading “South Sound 911 Supports You.”
At the end of the line, Margo Clayton of DuPont was holding a flag used to show support for law enforcement officers. She held it aloft for over an hour, the end of the flag pole digging into her chest.
“I believe that our police are important,” said Clayton. Her daughter is a dispatcher at South Sound 911, the agency that serves most of the county’s first responders. “I don’t know where our community would be without them and we’ve lost a really important person in this community.”
The group of officers and others lined the driveway to the medical examiner’s office as Calata’s body was moved into the facility. Some hugged and talked quietly. Most stood in silence.
Deputy Jeff Paupen had a picture of Calata attached to his ID card on a lanyard around his neck.
“I like having him close,” Paupen said of the photo. He had worked with Calata and found the younger officer inspirational.
“Dom was everything every cop should look like,” Paupen said. “He could do all things and do them really well.”
Whether Calata was dealing with a child, an elderly person or someone who was violent and headed to custody, he handled them with care and compassion, Paupen said.
ORGAN DONOR
Calata’s last selfless act was to be an organ donor, said Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Darren Moss. The process had delayed his body’s transfer to the medical examiner’s office.
“He’s going to continue to live on in these other people’s lives,” Moss said. “And his family’s going to know that Dom’s continuing to live on and passing life on to other people.”
Along with the honor guard, family and colleagues, St. Joseph doctors, nurses and other staff attended the transfer of Calata’s body.
“It seemed like an entire hospital were lining the hallway,” Moss said. “There were hundreds of people inside and outside the hospital.”
Also there was Scaniffe, who was able to climb into the tactical vehicle under his own power, Moss said. Tuesday’s shooting came perilously close to claiming Scaniffe’s life, he said.
“It almost cost him his life, too, and his fellow SWAT brothers saved his life,” Moss said.
Calata had been with the Sheriff’s Department for 6-1/2 years. He worked in the Edgewood detachment.
He was a husband and a father to a 4-year-old son.
In a “Storytime with a Sheriff” video, Calata read a childrens’ book called “Moon.”
“It also happens to be my son’s favorite book and he’s also obsessed with the moon,” Calata said.
Sheriff Ed Troyer said Calata was dedicated to public service. Along with the Sheriff’s Department, the deputy served in the Washington National Guard.
Calata and Scaniffe were part of the sheriff’s SWAT Team, which was requested by the South Sound Gang Task Force to help serve a warrant Tuesday on a 40-year-old man wanted for second-degree assault. The man had a history of violence.
Details on exactly what led up to the shooting have not been released. The Pierce County Force Investigation Team is running the investigation. A Tacoma police spokeswoman said shots were exchanged between the SWAT team and suspect, who was killed in the shootout.
MEMORIAL SCHEDULED
A memorial for Calata was announced on Saturday.
The Celebration of Life will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at the Church for all Nations, 111 112th Street East in Tacoma.
The service will be open to the public. The Sheriff’s Department said further details will be released as they are finalized.
A legacy fund has been established to benefit Calata’s family.
This story was originally published March 19, 2022 at 7:00 PM.
