Suspect dies in Spanaway shooting involving officers after chase down SR 512

A suspect died after he fired at a trooper on State Route (SR) 512 on Tuesday, leading officers on a chase to Spanaway where a shooting broke out, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD).

OFFICERS INVOLVED SHOOTING IN SPANAWAY. All officers and Deputies ok, multiple agencies involved. We will have updates when we get more information from the scene. pic.twitter.com/o06lwtVJhV

— Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) July 2, 2024

Around 10 a.m., a Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper announced a man was shooting at them on SR 512, PCSD’s Sgt. Darren Moss told KIRO Newsradio. After the call went out, other agencies got involved and chased the man to Spanaway. During the car chase, the man was shooting at troopers and deputies.

Moss said the man then ended the chase at 205th Street East and 5th Avenue Court East and again started shooting at officers. Moss said at least one car in the neighborhood was hit with bullets, as was an officer’s vehicle.

“Seeing bullet holes in a law enforcement officer’s vehicle is just very scary to see,” Moss said.

Law enforcement returned the gunfire and the man died at the scene. All officers got out OK, according to PCSD. The fire department then arrived.

Moss said PCSD is not sure of the man’s motive for the shooting. The Pierce County Force Investigation Team is taking over the investigation.

Moss also said locals in the area should expect traffic.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.