‘Deeply concerning’: Tacoma police investigate 5 homicides in 11 days

Three days later on Valentine’s Day, detectives found an 18-year-old man shot to death on South G Street. A 15-year-old suspect was later arrested by police.

Less than a week later, investigators found two women shot to death inside a vehicle on St. Paul Avenue on the 20th.

Detectives quickly discovered another homicide in the following days after an 18-year-old man was shot to death on South L Street.

On Wednesday, February 26, Tacoma detectives arrested a third suspect, an 18-year-old man, in connection to a shooting that killed a man on January 9, the first homicide of 2025.

The suspect was arrested for second-degree murder.

‘The recent violence in our community is deeply concerning’

KIRO 7 News spoke with Trinity Edmonds, whose 18-year-old sister, Nena Edmonds, was shot to death in Federal Way on the 13th.

Her sister is one of three 18-year-old victims who were shot and killed in the South Sound in the last two weeks.

“All of it’s affecting everybody. It’s affecting the whole Federal Way and Tacoma area,” she said. “It’s not even just families, but the people who live around the area, their friends, the neighbors. All of it’s affecting everybody.”

KIRO 7 News reached out to the Tacoma Police Department to understand how officers are responding to the recent alarming trend.

“The recent violence in our community is deeply concerning, and our hearts go out to the families affected. The Tacoma Police Department remains committed to combating violent crime through proactive enforcement and strong community partnerships. We urge anyone with information to come forward and contact our department,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement.

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Six homicides in Tacoma this year

According to the Tacoma Police Department, the city saw a total of six homicides in 2025, an increase from the four homicides that had taken place at the same time last year.

The City of Tacoma held a council meeting Monday where a consultant, working with the Tacoma Police Department to combat violence, said violent crimes have decreased since 2022 after the city’s violent crime reduction strategy had been implemented.

According to the consultant’s data presented to Tacoma’s City Council, murders, individual robberies, business robberies, assaults, and drive-by shootings have all decreased in the second half of 2024, compared to the same time period in 2023.

Edmonds told KIRO 7 News that she believes more younger adults and children are getting a hold of guns.

“I feel like parents aren’t really doing their job. You see your kids portraying in a certain way, and I feel like more needs to be said and done, but it’s also just like, it’s hard to shield your kids from everything, all of the propaganda that’s being fed to us,” she said.

“I feel like common courtesy and manners and how you treat others have been lost in our culture,” she added.

Nena Edmond’s mother shared a statement with KIRO 7 News following her daughter’s death.

“I want to encourage all parents watching this to engage and be more proactive with their children. Going through their rooms, ensuring your kids are around the right influence, checking up on them while they are out, genuinely being concerned for their safety. Please let your kids know about the increase of crime that’s going on in our community. I highly encourage Federal Way to better communicate the current concerns of the city to ensure the public is informed,” Stephanie Jones, the victim’s mother, wrote in a statement.

Despite the pain Trinity is feeling, she told KIRO 7 News that she’s hoping to share her younger sister’s story to help find the person who killed her best friend, but also to help end the violence.

“I’m praying for blessings and positivity for every family that’s dealing with the same situation as me,” she said.

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