Off-duty police officer shoots, kills robbery suspect in Tacoma

An off-duty Tacoma police officer reportedly shot and killed a robbery suspect on Wednesday evening.

“We had an off-duty Tacoma police officer who was just driving by on the main road and he sees the entire thing unfold,” Loretta Cool with the Tacoma Police Department told the press shortly after the shooting.

According to the Tacoma News Tribune, the officer was driving on South Tacoma Way near South 56th Street when he saw what appeared to be confrontation. He followed the group, which turned out to be two people confronting a robbery suspect after he allegedly pushed a woman to the ground and stole her phone.

The robbery suspect pulled out his gun after a short chase and pointed it at the people who followed him, according to the Tribune.

“The officer pulls out his gun and says, ‘Tacoma Police Department, off-duty police officer.’ The suspect gets into his truck and the officer fires a round,” Cool said.

Before firing and before the suspect got into his truck, the officer reportedly ordered the suspect to drop the firearm several times. However, the suspect continued to point his gun at the men who had chased him.

According to the Tribune, the suspect was shot once in the torso. He drove off in his truck, but crashed nearby. He was transported to a hospital where he later died.

KING 5 reports the robbery suspect was a white male in his 40s.

The 59-year-old officer, has been placed on administrative leave, which is protocol. The gun used in the shooting was a personal weapon, according to the Tribune.