Crime

Man killed in Midland shooting is identified by Pierce County medical examiner

Gage Hallstead, right, was fatally shot Saturday night outside an apartment complex in Midland. The 27-year-old man died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Gage Hallstead, right, was fatally shot Saturday night outside an apartment complex in Midland. The 27-year-old man died of multiple gunshot wounds. GoFundMe

A 27-year-old Tacoma man who was killed Saturday night in a shooting outside an apartment complex in Midland was identified Tuesday by the Pierce County medical examiner.

Gage D. Hallstead died Sunday of multiple gunshot wounds, according to a news release from the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office. The office ruled his death a homicide.

Hallstead was one of four men shot Saturday at about 11:20 p.m. near the intersection of 76th Street Court East and Golden Given Road East. One of the other men shot was Hallstead’s brother, and another man was his cousin. It’s not clear how the fourth shooting victim knew the other men.

Hallstead’s family started a GoFundMe to raise money to cover the cost of the man’s funeral.

The man’s mother told KIRO 7 she heard the gunshots while lying in bed with her granddaughter. She told the TV station she doesn’t understand why her family was targeted.

“My kids were not in any gangs or doing bad stuff,” Hallstead’s mother said. “They were working citizens that took care of their families.”

Deputies said the men were parked in two cars when another vehicle approached and fired shots. The shooting created a hectic crime scene, as two of the men drove from there to an address near East 38th and East I streets. The Pierce County medical examiner listed an address in the 3800 block of East I Street as the area where Hallstead died.

Pierce County Sheriff’s Department deputies are still searching for the shooter or shooters. On Monday, deputies said they were looking for a white or light-colored sedan seen leaving the scene of the shooting.

Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting in Midland Saturday, Jan. 22, that killed one man and injured three others.
Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting in Midland Saturday, Jan. 22, that killed one man and injured three others. Pierce County Sheriff's Department

This story was originally published January 25, 2022 at 10:55 AM.

Peter Talbot
The News Tribune
Peter Talbot is a criminal justice reporter for The News Tribune. He started with the newspaper in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at NPR in Washington, D.C. He also interned for the Oregonian and the Tampa Bay Times. Support my work with a digital subscription
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