1 dead after shooting at Puyallup motel

A Federal Way man is dead after a shooting early Saturday at a Puyallup motel.

Puyallup Police were called just before 5 a.m. to a motel in the 1400 block of South Meridian Street. A 911 caller said a man had been shot.

Officers found Lucas Gritzke, 25, with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the suspect fled, but while officers were investigating, the 25-year-old man returned to the motel. He is in custody, Puyallup Police Capt. Scott Engle said.

The “initial investigation indicates some sort of dispute erupted in the motel room likely related to narcotics,” Engle said in a news release. Several people were in the motel room at the time.

“During the dispute, the male suspect produced a handgun and shot the male victim,” he said.

Detectives continue to investigate at the motel.

One lane of northbound South Meridian by the motel had been shut down early Saturday, but all lanes reopened about 10:30 a.m.

This story was originally published April 16, 2016 at 8:37 AM with the headline "1 dead after shooting at Puyallup motel."