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Tacoma police shoot, kill armed man outside home

TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma police shot and killed a man outside his home Sunday night after a complaint over loud music.

The shooting was reported just after 10 p.m. in the 3400 block of South Proctor Street.

When police arrived at the home, the man grabbed a gun and walked outside, officers said.

KIRO 7 spoke to the man’s mother, Beverly Cunningham, at the scene. She identified him 47-year-old Stephen Cunningham.

She said she doesn’t blame police for what happened.

“It could have been different if my son hadn’t had a gun in his hand," Cunningham said. "But I don't blame the police. I really don't."

Cunningham said her son had a confrontation with another man earlier in the day. When police arrived at the home her son thought that man had returned, according to Cunningham.

She was told that one officer shot her son and that her son did not fire his weapon.

"I'm not angry with police, it's just a situation that should never have happened. They made the decision to shoot him, which personally, I don't think they should have. They could have shot him in the leg or something," said Cunningham.

Tacoma police told KIRO 7 that there were people inside the home at the time of the shooting.

After the shooting, the house was surrounded and contained until a SWAT team responded and cleared the residence. The shooting remains under investigation.

The officer involved is on paid administrative leave. The officer is 34 years old and has been working for the Tacoma Police Department for six years.

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