PUYALLUP, Wash. — Two people are dead and a third is fighting for her life following a shooting involving three family members in a Puyallup neighborhood on Thursday.
The conflict reportedly began inside one home before moving across the street.
According to police, a man and two women were fighting when they ran into a neighbor’s garage.
Investigators believe the man shot both women inside that garage before the homeowner intervened and shot and killed the man.
One woman died at the scene, and the other was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
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Michelle Weingarden-Bandes, a nurse who lives nearby, rushed to help.
“I came out to see what the commotion was,” Weingarden-Bandes said. “My neighbor next door, she’s like, ‘there’s gunshots, gunshots’…I could see the garage, and I saw some bodies lying on the ground,” she said.
Weingarden-Bandes discovered the victims in the garage.
“It was just a pile of people. So that was crazy too, to just run up and see this pile of people.”
As a nurse, she sprang into action.
“I was trying to figure out who was breathing, taking pulses, seeing who was still alive and who was not,” she said.
She noted that four shell casings were visible in the driveway, suggesting the victims may have been fired upon while attempting to flee.
“Maybe they were running to get away from him while they were fighting and then he shot,” she speculated.
Reflecting on her decision to enter an active scene, Weingarden-Bandes said her professional instincts took priority.
“I’m a nurse, and people needed help,” she said. “I thought about it later. It may not have been the best move, but this one needed to be done,” she said, fighting back tears.
Captain Kevin Gill of the Puyallup Police Department said the department is managing a complex investigation.
“There’s essentially two crime scenes they have to process,” Gill said. “They have several witnesses we need to interview.”
Investigators remained at the scene throughout Thursday to interview witnesses and process evidence.
Police have not yet released the identities of the family members or a motive for the dispute.
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