Military man killed in officer-involved shooting

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — A military reservist is dead after a Pierce County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed him.

The sheriff’s office says the 25 -year-old pointed a gun at the deputy.

It happened just before midnight at the corner of Cirque Drive West and 52^nd Street West in University Place.

The shattered door of Apartment B is peppered with five bullet holes.

Neighbors called 911 about a fight inside just before midnight on Friday.

The sheriff’s office says two men walked out of the apartment.

One man lied on the ground, screaming for help.

"The other comes out with a shotgun, points it as us and we shoot him. Unfortunately that happened but you just can't do that," said Ed Troyer, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.

According to Troyer, the 25-year-old suspect lived in the apartment and was a current or former Reservist.

The suspect and a 24-year-old friend, also in the military, were fighting inside, said Troyer.

"There's a ton of blood inside that apartment. Knives, pans, glass, broken, both bloodied up so they had some sort of incident tonight that made everyone call 911,"  Troyer said early Saturday morning.

Investigators also found alcohol, several handguns, long rifles and shotguns.

"We're lucky that none of our guys were hurt or no neighbors were hurt," he said.
 
Detectives left the scene after nearly eight hours.
 
Jesus Perez is a maintenance worker who says the young man who lived here wasn't violent.
 
"He was very quiet and very nice guy," Perez said. "I don't know, I really don't know
what happened. I'm really surprised about it."
 
So too are other neighbors who heard screams and people crying outside.
 
The victim has not been identified.

The deputy  has been with the force for more than 20 years and is now on standard paid leave.

The sheriff’s office says the deputy has never been involved in an officer-involved shooting before.

KIRO