Suspect in Tacoma shooting exhibited ‘odd behavior’

The owner of the barbershop where Bruce Johnson worked for the past eight months until the day he was killed in a standoff with police says Johnson was exhibiting strange behavior.

“He was fired the day of the shooting for a variety of … kind of odd behavior,” Daniels told KIRO Radio. “Not opening the shop on time and kind of some confrontations with other shop employees.”

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Daniels, who owns Sam & Terry’s Barbershop in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood, says he left Johnson a message to turn in his key Wednesday morning but never heard back from him. The next day he learned Johnson was the man who had allegedly killed a Tacoma police officer.

Reginald Gutierrez, an officer with the Tacoma Police Department for 17 years, was shot while responding to a domestic violence call at 413 East 52nd Street. Gutierrez was pulled to safety by Pierce County deputies, but later died. His body was transported from the hospital to the medical examiner’s office late Wednesday night as law enforcement and members of the community lined the streets to pay their respects.

Johnson was killed Thursday morning after an 11-hour standoff with law enforcement.

Daniels says his other employees complained Johnson was quick to overreact and had even brought a gun to work recently.

Authorities discovered multiple weapons inside the house after the standoff ended.

Tacoma Police Chief Donald Ramsdell said the suspect did not have a “serious background in regards to criminal history” but there may have been issues with mental illness.

Related: Pierce County Sheriff worried we’re becoming numb to these shootings

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