Seattle Police thwart potential mass shooting after Tacoma student’s online threat
May 28, 2026, 1:26 PM | Updated: 4:50 pm
Seattle Police find a shotgun buried in the woods during an investigation involving a potential mass shooting. (Photo courtesy of the Seattle Police Department)
(Photo courtesy of the Seattle Police Department)
A Tacoma college student has been hospitalized with an Extreme Risk Protection Order after he allegedly posted a photo of a shotgun on a messaging app, which law enforcement interpreted as him preparing to commit a mass shooting.
On May 26, at approximately 1 p.m., Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers received a crisis complaint after a photo of a shotgun was seen on a Discord message, SPD announced.
The weapon was linked to a student who had become “increasingly erratic and radicalized,” and “clearly modeling his ideology off of a mass murderer,” according to SPD.
University officials were quickly notified of the student’s behavior online. SPD has not revealed what college the suspect attended, as of this reporting.
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SPD locates suspect after he leaves apartment with a shotgun case
During the investigation, SPD discovered that the suspect, a Seattle resident, had left his apartment with a shotgun carrying case. Officers, alongside SPD’s Crisis Response Team, located the suspect and detained him as they believed he presented an imminent danger to the public.
The suspect did not have the shotgun when he was detained.
Paramedics transported the suspect to a local hospital for a medical evaluation and served him with an Extreme Risk Protection Order, preventing individuals at high risk of harming themselves or others from accessing firearms when there is sufficient evidence that the individual poses a significant danger.
The suspect told officers that he buried the shotgun in the woods near Robinson Community Park in Bellevue. SPD searched the area and found the gun with the writing scratched off. The shotgun was seized as evidence.
A side-by-side photo of the shotgun found buried in the woods. (Photo courtesy of the Seattle Police Department)
Investigators said, at this point, the man’s issues seem more mental, rather than criminal.
“No direct threat was actually made. This gentleman needs help more than he needs to go to jail, so that’s exactly why our crisis responders intervened,” SPD Detective Eric Munoz told KIRO Newsradio.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance, please reach out to The National Suicide and Crisis Hotline by calling 988.
988 is the nationwide, three-digit number for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis, thoughts of suicide, or emotional distress — available 24/7 across the U.S.
988 supports individuals and their loved ones, offering guidance on how to help someone in crisis and access community resources.
Additional information on Extreme Risk Protection Orders is available here.
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