Salishan residents worry about safety after multi-fatal shooting in Tacoma neighborhood
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Mass shooting in Salishan neighborhood
Four people were shot dead in Tacoma’s Salishan neighborhood Thursday evening. Stick with The News Tribune as we report the latest in this developing story.
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Residents in Salishan said Friday they are concerned for their families’ safety after four people were fatally shot in their Tacoma neighborhood.
On Thursday afternoon, two men and two women were killed in the 4000 block of Everett Street. Police have not yet identified the victims, and the shooter has not yet been found.
The Salishan neighborhood is mixed-income, with affordable and market-rate rental units, single-family homes, parks and a handful of commercial buildings.
Halloween decorations dressed up homes on Friday morning as neighbors passed each other by sharing their stories of the previous night.
Jared and Brian, are next-door neighbors on Everett who witnessed the fatal shootings. They declined to share their last names out of fear of retaliation from the killer. Brian has been in the neighborhood for about six years. Jared moved in about four months ago, he said.
They said the four victims had been in a vehicle together. The gunman approached the car and shot at them. When the gunshots rang out in front of their home, Brian said his 4-year-old son told him to get on the ground.
“I can’t believe it was real. This is the stuff you see on TV,” Jared said.
“This was heavy hitting,” Brian said. “This was in broad daylight. There were kids around.”
The men both decided to keep their children at home for the day Friday, and Jared took off work.
“I just don’t feel comfortable with letting them out of my sight,” he told The News Tribune.
He planned to install security cameras at his home.
Residents told The News Tribune they felt there isn’t enough surveillance in the neighborhood. Tacoma Housing Authority, which oversees the Salishan neighborhood, said there is typically one security guard on site.
There are 1,134 total homes in all of Salishan, 631 of which are owned by THA.
Communications manager Nick Tolley said management has been requesting additional coverage recently, but there have been staffing shortages at Pierce County Security.
“It has been difficult to have more than two guards on-site at any given time,” he said. “Last night there were two, and the team hopes to have an increased security presence moving forward.”
One resident, Sandy, is a grandmother. She also requested her last name be withheld. She initially thought the gunshots were fireworks.
“Then somebody came and said they’re shooting people out there,” she said. “That’s when we threw the kids on the ground. We all actually got on the ground and waited until it was over. I was devastated.”
She wants police to find the perpetrator.
“The only thing I’m worried about is him still being out there, I just hope he gets caught real fast,” she told The News Tribune.
This story was originally published October 22, 2021 at 1:41 PM.
