Local

Pierce County man in custody after fatal shooting

PARKLAND, Wash. — A 45-year-old man is in the Pierce County Jail tonight, accused of shooting and killing a man he said was trespassing by parking on private property.

But investigators said the property does not belong to the suspect.

Neighbors said the suspect had chased off drivers before who tried to park there, and his house is right next to the lot.

Last night, it happened again, with lethal consequences.

“I just seen the van turn around, and I was coming in my gate,” said neighbor Ray Brown.

He was returning home just before midnight Sunday. He saw a van turning around in the grassy lot across the street. A woman was behind the wheel, and a man was in the passenger seat.

“He got out of the car,” Brown said.

Seconds later, it happened.

“By the time I got to the middle of my house, I heard a pop,” said Brown. “And by the time I got to the back of it, I seen the guy. And the girl was saying, ‘I’m unarmed.’”

Soon afterward, Pierce County Sheriff’s Dispatch Center began getting 911 calls.

“The person that called in said they had shot someone,” said Sgt. Darren Moss Jr. “That was the first call that we got. And then the next call that we got was that someone was calling saying that their boyfriend had been shot.”

Moss said when deputies arrived, the suspect said he approached the van, which was illegally parked in the lot next to his house.

“And when the victim came out of the van, he was told, ‘Hey, get out of here. You’re trespassing,’” said Moss. “He tried to throw a cup with some kind of liquid in it. And as he was throwing cup, the suspect fired a shot that killed the victim.”

Deputies took the suspect into custody.

“But that’s not his property,” said Brown.

Brown said the suspect has often guarded this property as though it is his. But it isn’t. It belongs to the Dryer Masonic Center.

“I didn’t see the shooting,” said Brown. “You know what I mean? But to me, that’s wrong.”

The 30-year-old victim has not yet been formally identified.

The suspect is expected to make a court appearance Tuesday.