SPANAWAY, Wash. — A suspect in Spanaway is being investigated on suspicion of murder after officials with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department said he called a plumber to his home Monday night and killed him after a dispute involving a gate.
South Sound 911 was called just after 8 p.m. Monday for shots fired at a home in the 1000 block of Military Rd E in Spanaway. The caller called 911 again just before 8:30 p.m. to tell authorities they could see a body in a truck in front of the home where they heard the shots fired.
Detectives from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department arrived to the area and found the homeowner in the driver side of the pickup truck. Investigators said the man retreated into his home when they arrived, but later surrendered.
Deputies found a man with apparent gunshot wounds inside the truck, but he was pronounced dead by emergency crews.
Investigators learned the dispute started when the suspect called for a plumber. When the plumber arrived, the suspect accused him of hitting his gate and shot the 40-year-old victim while sitting in the vehicle's driver seat, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.
After the shooting, the suspect allegedly took guns to a nearby home and asked his neighbor to hold them for him. Six guns were later found at the neighbor's home, deputies said.
The 55-year-old suspect was booked into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and tampering with evidence.