2 dead from suspected murder-suicide in Tacoma after hostage incident
A man and woman died in an apparent murder-suicide after a Tacoma SWAT standoff about two weeks ago, according to police.
Officers were dispatched at about 9:47 p.m. to the 700 block of South 38th Street for a domestic dispute incident on Oct. 17. Officers learned when they arrived that an ex-boyfriend was holding his ex-girlfriend hostage, according to the Tacoma Police Department in an X post on Oct. 27.
Officers began negotiations and surrounded the area, the post said. TPD’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) later continued negotiations for several hours.
SWAT officers entered the home just after 1 a.m. where the man and woman were found injured with possible gunshot wounds, the post said. Officers provided life-saving measures until Tacoma Fire Department personnel took over.
Asked about the point at which SWAT decided to enter the home, TPD spokesperson Officer Shelbie Boyd told The News Tribune those are case details that would not be released.
The police department did not put out a news release about the shooting when it happened earlier this month.
The man and woman were taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, were put on life support, and later died, according to the post and Boyd. Boyd said the woman was 39 and the man was 38.
Detectives and Crime Scene Technicians are investigating the incident as a murder-suicide.
This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 11:43 AM.
