FIFE, Wash. — When a single car in Fife collided with light poles, trees and a fire hydrant last Tuesday, police initially thought they were being dispatched to a routine traffic collision call.
But it turned out to be a more tragic situation, and now a Puyallup family is begging for answers.
According to the Fife Police Department, officers responded around 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 12 to a car speeding on 20th Street East near 70th Avenue East. After the car came to a rest, police discovered a man inside the car, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
He was identified as Rudolph King III.
King is a 23-year-old man from Milton, known to his friends and family as "Little Rudy." He was an active-duty officer with the Army National Guard and a recent graduate of Pacific Lutheran University.
Results of the autopsy shocked responding officers.
“They discovered later that there was a gunshot wound," said Assistant Chief David Claridge of the Fife Police Department.
Authorities said a single gunshot wound killed King before his car veered out of control and crashed. Police said it appears the violent attack was "random," and said that he does not seem to have any enemies.
"From what we know he is a good young man who was on his way home to family," said Claridge. Claridge added that he was coming from a game of flag football at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
In the days since, the roadside memorial has grown for King at the site of the crime scene.
His college sweetheart is sharing her plea for the community's help.
"I was just at home waiting for him to come back home," said Sarah Layne, King's fiancée. The pair are both in their early 20s, and in love. "We met both going to Pacific Lutheran University."
It wasn’t long before King proposed.
"All he asked me to do was dress a little bit nicer, for whatever reason, you know. So, we took a walk in the neighborhood, and kind of at this part of a trail, all the photos we had from our year in that relationship at that time, were all hung up," she recalls. "And it was very, very intimate. It was just me, him and a couple friends taking pictures from the bushes. So it was a very quiet, private proposal, but it was very, very beautiful."
She said as cadets in college, they "hit it off right away," and were "attached at the hip.”
But that future they envisioned together was ripped away last Tuesday, and she now faces unimaginable grief.
"My life has been completely uprooted," said Layne.
Answers about why, and who shot King, remain.
"We don’t have any information to lead to, really, a whole lot of anything," said Claridge. Still, the officer emphasized that detectives are working hard on this case to try and bring justice to the situation.
The Washington National Guard released a statement in the wake of King's death.
"Our men and women are devoted to making our state and nation a safer place. When they are victims of senseless crimes, it makes it an even bigger tragedy," the statement reads. "We are keeping our thoughts and prayers with Lt. King’s family, and are offering whatever support we can to help them get through this heartbreaking time."
Meanwhile, Layne said she was often inspired by King's kindness and generosity, adding that he was a man of service to his very core.
"He was activated for wildfires in Washington not too long ago, about a year ago," said Layne. "He volunteered many hours at the police department during Police Explorers in high school. He always gave his time to other things. So, now is the time where we need a little bit in return from the community. We need help solving this.”
If you have any information about this crime, you are urged to contact Detective Sergeant Travis Kenyon at 253-896-8291.
Layne and King had plans to marry in the near future. A family friend set up a GoFundMe page to help Layne with "loss of income and daily expenses."