Pierce County shooting leaves one man dead, his brother, cousin and another man hurt

MIDLAND, Wash. — A heartbroken mother is speaking out tonight after four people were shot, one fatally in Pierce County.

One man is dead and three others are injured, including the victim’s brother, after someone opened fire on them.

The shooting occurred at about 11:20 p.m. Saturday at an apartment complex in Midland, just off Golden Given Road East.

When it was over, three people were badly hurt, one person was dead and the shooter was on the loose.

Amy Hallstead agreed to talk if her face wasn’t shown. After all, her 27-year-old son, Gage Hallstead, was killed and her 23-year-old son, Bailey, is badly hurt.

Now Pierce County sheriff’s detectives are trying to figure out who shot them and why.

“And I heard the popping going off,” said Hallstead, her voice heavy with grief.

Hallstead said that was what she heard as she lay in bed with her granddaughter.

“But I just assumed that somebody was being stupid and shooting their gun up in the air,” she said. “I didn’t know that my family members were being shot and killed.”

Just before 11:30 p.m., her 23-year-old son returned home and said that he had been shot.

The family called 911 but had trouble getting through.

“And that’s when my son told me that my husband, my other son and nephew were in another vehicle that was also shot at,” said Hallstead, “and that my oldest son was dead.”

That vehicle ended up here on East I Street at East 38th, some three miles away in Northeast Tacoma. It stopped in front of Sonja Keesee’s home.

“Yeah, they were shot over in Midland,” said Keesee. “But it’s still scary. It’s not anything anybody wants to deal with.”

Pierce County sheriff’s investigators say they are still trying to determine exactly what happened. They say that when the suspect took off, a pickup truck followed. Hallstead’s husband was driving a vehicle with his mortally wounded son and an injured nephew inside. With two of the vehicle’s tires flat, Hallstead’s husband eventually pulled over in Tacoma and called 911.

“And we were able to figure out right away that this was related to our shooting,” said Sgt. Darren Moss Jr., Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman, “because the caller said his family member was deceased and he was also shot.”

Amy Hallstead says she does not know why her family was targeted nor by whom.

“No,” she said. “My kids were not in any gangs or doing bad stuff. They were working citizens that took care of their families.”

Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is asking anyone with information about the shooting to call 911.

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