Man fatally shot by Pierce County deputy had history of run-ins with police
A man fatally shot by a Pierce County deputy Monday has been identified by the Medical Examiner’s Office.
James Pulliam Jr., 29, died near the 11100 block of C Street South near Parkland from gunshot wounds to the chest. His manner of death was listed as a homicide, the office wrote in a news release.
It is unknown where Pulliam was from, according to the release.
Prior to the shooting, deputies were dispatched at 4:21 p.m. for a report of a suspicious person who appeared to be trying to set a building on fire. The man had allegedly been involved in previous burglaries and was breaking and throwing objects, according to a News Tribune report.
Deputies confronted him at the Pacific Pride gas station in the 110th block of Pacific Avenue South and pursued him on foot for a few blocks to the area of 112th Street South and C Street South, where deputies said shots were fired, the story said.
A spokesperson for the Pierce County Force Investigation Team, Sgt. Charles Porche of the Lakewood Police Department, confirmed to the News Tribune on Tuesday that one deputy fired shots during the incident. He did not have additional information about whether the suspect was armed.
PCFIT is in charge of the investigation.
Court records show that Pulliam had an extensive criminal history with a number of charges including robbery and burglary.
Pulliam was arrested in September 2020 for getting in a woman’s unoccupied car to steal some items. He also threatened to kill a Tacoma officer during arrest, charging documents show.
For that incident, Pulliam faced several charges, including first-degree malicious mischief, second-degree theft and obstructing a law enforcement officer, court records show.
Documents show that Pulliam has a history of mental health issues, including unspecified schizophrenia, so a competency evaluation was ordered, which found him competent to proceed to trial. Pulliam pleaded guilty to the charges in 2021.
Most recently in 2023, several competency evaluations were provided after Pulliam was charged with second-degree burglary and third-degree retail theft with special circumstances. Pulliam pleaded guilty to the charges after he was found competent in 2024, records show.
A psychological evaluation from September noted that Pulliam had 23 contacts with Western State Hospital or the Office of Forensic Mental Health Services between 2017 and 2023.
This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 9:11 AM.
