Tacoma police fatally shoot man Tuesday afternoon after responding to assault with gun
A man was fatally shot by Tacoma police Tuesday afternoon after officers responded to an assault involving a gun in the South End.
The shooting occurred in the 9400 block of South D Street, less than a block from two churches, about 4:38 p.m., according to Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Darren Moss.
Officers arrived about 3:10 p.m. and called for the SWAT team, according to the Pierce County Force Investigation Team, which investigates uses of lethal force by local law enforcement agencies.
“It was reported that the suspect had fired shots in the area and struck two nearby occupied houses multiple times,” PCFIT reported Wednesday. “Officers on scene requested additional support to assist with the suspect who was not cooperative. Tacoma SWAT personnel responded with armored vehicles. Once on scene attempts were made to verbally de-escalate the suspect. These attempts were not successful.”
At about 4:38 p.m., the man “fired shots at the officers who returned fire. The 41 year old male was struck by the return fire and was pronounced deceased at the scene,” PCFIT reported.
No police officers were injured, Moss said. The officer or officers involved will be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Pierce County Force Investigation Team.
Michelle Haynes lives near the scene and said the man who was shot put caution tape around his yard and into the street recently, wrapping it around his trash bins. He recently added a string of razor wire, Haynes told The News Tribune.
Brian Roberge also lives nearby and said the man who was shot had “been doing a lot of shooting” in recent days.
This story was originally published August 8, 2023 at 6:07 PM.
