PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — No charges will be filed against Josh Harris, a Pierce County Council candidate who shot at a man in Tacoma on Memorial Day.
Harris said he was attempting to recover stolen property from an encampment.
After Harris and others called the police about the property, officers came out to investigate at the Boy Scout Office parking lot off South 19th Street just before 5 p.m.
While at the encampment, Harris stayed back in a parking lot but a man who was in a stolen car, 40-year-old Scott Stacy, came from a path and toward the parking lot.
Harris said Stacy was speeding toward him and that was when he fired shots at the vehicle, fearing for his life. Others with Harris and witnesses validated Harris’ account.
Officers heard the shots, ran toward the parking lot and captured Stacy on camera fleeing the area.
One day later, Stacy returned to the encampment. It looked as though his face had been injured. Law enforcement showed up soon after and arrested Stacy before taking him to the hospital for treatment.
When Stacy was released from the hospital, he was booked into jail for first-degree assault and possession of a stolen vehicle.
While Harris will not face charges, prosecutors said they will file second-degree assault charges against Stacy.
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case due to a potential conflict of interest involving the Tacoma Police Department, in which the union representing the TPD officers endorsed Harris. Harris had also paid for suites at Rainiers games for TPD members.