SPANAWAY, Wash. — The two Pierce County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) deputies shot during a SWAT operation near Spanaway Tuesday have been identified.
Deputy Dominique Calata, 35, was "gravely" wounded and died March 16. Sergeant Rich Scaniffe, 45, was out of surgery Tuesday evening and in stable condition, according to the PCSD.
Calata served with the department for 6.5 years and is assigned to patrol with the Edgewood Police Department. He is a U.S. Army veteran and served in the National Guard for the past seven years, and has been a member of the SWAT team for four years.
Calata had a wife and 4-year-old child.
Scaniffe is a 21-year veteran of the PCSD and is assigned to the Mountain Detachment. He has been a member of the SWAT team for 14 years and has served as the team's commander for one year.
Scaniffe is married and has a young daughter.
“Everything that I have to say about them is all great things. These are two guys that are just upstanding guys, they're fun to be around,” Pierce County Sheriff Sergeant Darren Moss said Wednesday. “That's what makes it tough because we all care about each other.”
"Our department members are appreciative and thankful for the support our community has shown us during this difficult time," a statement from the sheriff's department reads.
“We know when people need help, we're who you a call. So when we need help, we still got to be there for each other,” said Moss. “It's always going to be hard. It's friends, coworkers, but we know that there's important work to be done.”
The deputies were shot while assisting in serving a search warrant on Tuesday. The South Sound Gang Task Force was serving the warrant for second-degree assault on a 40-year-old suspect, identified as Jeremy Dayton.
The task force asked for help from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department's SWAT team due to the suspect's prior felony convictions, according to Wendy Haddow, a spokesperson for the Tacoma Police Department, which is assisting with the investigation.
During the incident, Haddow said gunfire was exchanged.
The two deputies were transported to a nearby hospital, according to the PCSD.
Authorities said Dayton was shot and killed.