News

Argument over parking space turns deadly

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — A Lakewood man died after he was shot by a neighbor in what police said was a dispute over a parking space.

The man who shot him will not face criminal charges.

Police were called to an apartment complex in the 10200 block of 47th Street SW Sunday night after several people called 911 reporting a gunshot.

Officers found a chaotic scene with one men lying in the street with a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Assistant Lakewood Police Chief Mike Zaro said 36-year-old Lazaro Valle-Matos had gotten into an argument with a resident over a parking spot at the complex.

Zaro said Valle-Matos "actually brought a knife, raised the knife and was threatening the other people with it," when a man in the apartment pulled a gun and fired once, hitting Valle-Matos in the chest. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died.

Zaro said the shooter was not arrested because he is legally allowed to own a firearm and the shooting appears to be a case of self-defense.

The shooter's name was not released.

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