Suspect in shots-fired call at Tacoma bar fatally shot after fleeing police
A 39-year-old man was shot and killed early Friday morning by a Tacoma Police Department officer after he fled from police investigating them as a suspect in a shots-fired incident at a bar.
The shooting occurred in the city’s Eastside neighborhood at McKinley Avenue and East 57th Street at about 3:22 a.m.
Police initially said the man was being investigated for unlawful possession of a firearm and illegal discharge of a weapon. The Pierce County Force Investigation Team was called to investigate the shooting, and in an update Friday afternoon, investigators said those offenses were related to a shots fired incident at a South End bar on 56th Street.
The update did not identify the man who was killed. It’s still unclear how many Tacoma police officers were involved in the shooting or how it began. No officers were injured. Investigators said a firearm was recovered at the scene. Police also noted that the state Attorney General’s Office of Independent Investigations was made aware of the shooting.
Tacoma police had developed probable cause to arrest the man Thursday night for the incident at the bar, according to PCFIT. Officers tried to arrest him twice around 8 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., but the man reportedly fled each time. Investigators did not provide details on what happened.
At 3:05 a.m., police found the man’s car with him and a woman asleep inside, investigators said. In a tweet, police said it was found at Pacific Avenue and South 45th Street. Officers placed stop sticks in front of it and began a felony stop, according to PCFIT. The man fled again, driving over a stop stick which deflated more than one of his tires. His speed was reportedly very slow, and officers followed as he fled.
Investigators said the vehicle crashed at one point near East 43rd and F streets, and the woman in the passenger seat got out. She was detained, but the man driving continued to flee.
The suspect then went south on McKinley Avenue until he stopped near 57th Street, according to PCFIT. Investigators said that’s when the shooting occurred, and officers radioed the man was down. Medics were called to respond, but the man died. PCFIT is continuing to investigate.
This story was originally published December 30, 2022 at 8:04 AM.
