Man shot by Lakewood police in standoff at bank

Lakewood Police Officers shot a 48-year-old Tacoma man with a gun in a standoff Saturday afternoon at the Washington State Employees Credit Union.

According to reports, the suspect, who has not yet been identified by police, had been married to one of the hostage victims for over 15 years when they separated recently due to a history of domestic violence. The victim indicated to police that she was meeting with the suspect at the credit union to resolve financial matters.

Once inside, police say the man pulled out his gun and attacked his ex-wife.

“By default, every other employee and customer that was in the bank was a hostage,” said Lakewood Police Lieutenant Jeff Alwine.

Officers rushed to the scene after witnesses outside the bank called 911, reporting that a man inside the bank had pulled out a gun. Initially, officers were unsure whether the situation involved a bank robbery or an attack on an individual.

“Officers initially tried to communicate with him. We did have a hostage negotiator that responded to the scene fairly early on,” said Lieutenant Alwine. “He did try to engage the suspect in communication.”

For 45 minutes the suspect remained inside the bank with the gun and the hostages, ignoring all attempts to contact him.

At one point the suspect walked into the glass-enclosed foyer, gun in hand, with his wife, and was shot by a SWAT team sharpshooter. Officers then enclosed the suspect, removed the gun, and secured the scene.

The suspect was taken to Tacoma General Hospital in critical condition.

Bob Larson contributed to this report