PUYALLUP, Wash. — On Wednesday afternoon, just after 5 p.m., a Puyallup barber was giving a haircut to an eight-year-old boy at the JQ Barber Shop on East Stewart Avenue, when he was shot and killed by a man who entered the store.
“The barbershop owner had been shot multiple times,” said Captain Ryan Portmann of the Puyallup Police Department. “Fire was right behind us, and they ultimately pronounced him dead at the scene.”
The victim was 43-year-old Jose Velez.
Investigators with Puyallup police say they believe that the shooting was targeted, and no one else in the barbershop was harmed.
“We believe that this is an isolated incident, and the individual was, more likely than not, targeted,” Portmann said. “Given that, we’re saying that the threat to the community is low.”
Meanwhile, community members have come out to pay their respects to Velez.
Puyallup resident Ava lives nearby and said that as tragic as this is for the neighborhood, she’s also concerned about the child who was present.
“It’s sad for me and I feel like everybody that lives around here, especially for the little kid that was in there at that time,” she said. “He’s going to be traumatized for a long time.”
Portmann said he understands some in the community may feel unsafe when an incident like this occurs and ensured the public that investigators are doing everything they can to bring those responsible to justice.
“You should be able to go to work, cut a child’s hair, and have a nice time while you’re doing that,” Portmann said. “It was a tragic situation with the barber and I think it’s really caused people to step back and question their safety.”
Puyallup Police Chief Scott Engle will be holding a meeting with business owners in the area next Tuesday to hear from them about what can be done to make them feel safe.
The suspect is described as a male around 5'8'' wearing all-black clothing. Anyone with any information about the shooting is encouraged to call the Puyallup Police Department as soon as possible.