Shooting at Parkland birthday party injures 1, deputies say
A 34-year-old man was wounded by a gunshot Thursday night in Parkland after a shooting broke out at a birthday party, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
The man’s injuries were minor, deputies said in a statement Friday morning, and a suspect who lived across the street from the party was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault. The suspect, a 41-year-old man, was booked into Pierce County Jail.
Law enforcement responded at about 9:56 p.m. to the 100 block of 131st Street East, about a block from Pacific Avenue. There, deputies found a man with a gunshot wound and applied gauze while waiting for paramedics to arrive. Meanwhile, other deputies located the shooter across the street. Deputies said he had a firearm in his hand, and he complied with orders to put it down. The man was taken into custody.
Deputies believe an argument between the suspected gunman and the victim turned into a physical confrontation that led to the shooting. According to the Sheriff’s Department’s statement, several people pulled the gun away from the suspect after he fired a gunshot at the 34-year-old man.
It’s unclear what the argument was about. Deputies said after his gun was taken, the shooting suspect went back into his home and grabbed another gun before deputies arrived.
The victim and the suspected gunman were transported to a hospital to be treated for injuries. Deputies said the suspect sustained a minor injury during the fight.
