TACOMA, Wash. — A suspect was shot and killed after he fired at police in south Tacoma on Sunday.
Tacoma police officers were called to the 6700 block of South Monroe Street after a man called 911 and reported a relative of his assaulted him, according to the Pierce County Force Investigation Team (PCFIT).
The caller said the suspect didn't use a weapon to assault him, but he was in possession of several firearms and might try to shoot at police, PCFIT reported.
Police arrived on scene around 2:20 p.m. and spoke with the assault victim. Around 20 minutes later, officers developed probable cause to arrest the suspect for fourth-degree assault. Officers attempted to speak with the suspect, but he was not cooperative.
Around 2:57 p.m. officers reported that the suspect was "actively shooting at us," according to a release.
The suspect continued to fire at police for several minutes. At 3:01 p.m. Officers also advised over radio that the suspect had reloaded his gun. Less than a minute later, an officer reported that shots were fired and the suspect was down.
At 3:08 p.m., officers were able to safely approach the suspect with medical personnel and discovered he was dead, according to PCFIT.
No officers were injured during the incident.
Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards said in a statement she was “deeply concerned and devastated” by violence in Tacoma and that it causes “ripples of trauma” across the families involved, first responders and the community at large.
“It is vital that we address the root cause of all acts of violence as we work to improve our intervention efforts and response to violent incidents,” Woodards said in a statement. “To this end, the City Council and I will continue to support our domestic violence prevention and intervention programs to ensure we are addressing the issues comprehensively.”
The shooting will be investigated by the Pierce County Force Investigation Team.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Download our free KING 5 app to stay up-to-date on news stories from across western Washington.