GIG HARBOR, Wash. — A 58-year-old man was charged with murder Wednesday for allegedly shooting and killing his next-door neighbor in Gig Harbor Saturday evening. Mark Allen Erisman was in court Monday, where prosecutors requested a 72-hour hold of the suspect.
Deputies responded to Erisman’s neighborhood in the 6500 block of Valley View Drive NW in Gig Harbor after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting Erisman had shot his neighbor, according to a release from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.
At 7:23 p.m., deputies found the victim, a 76-year-old woman, dead inside her home with gunshot wounds, officials said.
"She was the neighborhood grandmother," one grieving neighbor said.
Pierce County deputies, assisted by Tacoma police and Ruston police, started searching the area for the man, who was not found at his home.
Just before 9 p.m., Tacoma police located Erisman’s unoccupied vehicle in a parking area at the Les Davis Pier. Officers searched the area and found Erisman walking a short distance away.
The suspect was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Pierce County Jail on a first-degree murder charge.
During the investigation, officials said detectives learned Erisman had been contacted prior to the homicide by mental health co-responders because he believed his neighbor was setting up devices to scare off wildlife. Deputies were dispatched to Erisman's home at 3:15 p.m. on the day of the homicide, but he did not answer the door and couldn't be located, officials said.
Approximately one hour and 25 minutes later, the first witness called 911 to report that Erisman had allegedly shot his neighbor, officials said.
The mental health co-responders are trained counselors who assist the Pierce County Sheriff's Department in the field to respond to incidents where mental health issues may be involved, according to officials.
The investigation into this homicide is still ongoing.
