TACOMA, Wash. — A trend of death in Tacoma — eleven homicides in nearly five months. That’s nearly double the deaths compared to 2024, according to Tacoma police.
KIRO 7 went straight to the police to ask if there was a pattern, and to hear why they’re calling you to action.
The latest murder claimed the life of a man in his 20s last night. A woman was also shot and is expected to survive.
Neighbors heard the shots Sunday night, but they were too afraid to venture out.
“He’s an old friend,” said one woman, her baby in tow. “He’s young.”
She didn’t want KIRO 7 to show her face, fearing for her own safety. But she left flowers for a young man she says she has known since 2016, now gone.
“He was a good person,” she said. “He was a father. And he was just really sweet. He would give the shirt off his back for you.”
Just before 7 p.m. Sunday, the calls started coming to Tacoma police.
“I hear the boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,” said Emma Candelario, a 14-year Salishan resident. “Shooting, a lot of shooting.”
“Yeah, we heard about six, seven shots,” said Robert Perez, a 35-year Salishan resident. “We were just cleaning up my son’s bedroom. His bedroom window faces right there.”
A man and a woman, both in their 20s, had been shot in their Salishan neighborhood in East Tacoma. The man later died.
“They were parked right here,” said Perez. “When we came out we could see them doing chest compressions and everything. Yeah, they followed him all the way up to the ambulance doing chest compressions the whole time.”
This is becoming a sad reality in Tacoma. Since January 9, 11 people have died by homicide here, nearly double the number this time last year.
The first six deaths were concentrated in certain areas of the city. The trend has Tacoma police working overtime to find those responsible.
“We’re committed to using all of our tools to try and stop this, you know, this circle of violence,” said Officer Shelbie Boyd with Tacoma PD.
KIRO 7 asked her if there was a pattern.
“Just the recent last couple that we’ve have all been located in that eastern side of the city,” she said.
Officer Boyd says they need the public’s help. If you know someone so angry that they are threatening to hurt someone, call the police before it escalates.
She says they want to prevent these murders – because each one takes a life that is so precious to someone.
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