TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma police have an increased presence at the Tacoma Dome tonight.
This comes a day after a shooting outside the school sent a former student to the hospital.
That victim, a 16-year-old boy, was in satisfactory condition and could be released today.
At the Tacoma Dome, where senior students are set to graduate tonight, officers are not going unnoticed.
Three sets of seniors are bidding farewell to their high school years.
Lincoln students are last on this overcast Wednesday, a day after a shooting outside the school wounded a 16-year-old boy, who we now know is a former Lincoln High student.
“I mean, that’s sad to hear he’s not enrolled in school,” said Elijah Dabney.
KIRO 7 was the first to tell this local ice cream man about it.
“What do you think? Are you surprised?” he was asked.
“I’m somewhat surprised and somewhat not,” he said, “because in every city, there’s always going to be some type of criminal activity, crime or shooting that happens.”
According to eyewitnesses, the victim ran to this store across from Lincoln High. He was overheard telling the 911 operator to hurry and send police.
“Do you know what the beef was about or why the shooting happened at all?” Sgt. John Correa, Tacoma PD spokesman, was asked.
“No,” he said. “We’re still trying to sort out what started this. We do have surveillance footage showing that the two were together prior to the shooting. And that is all we have at this point.”
Despite that, Correa says gun violence is trending down in the city of Destiny, down 53% from 2023, down nearly 30% from last year.
Youth gun violence is down, too, he says, nearly 60% from 2023, down 17% from this time last year.
Still, officers are extra visible in these waning days of this school year.
“It gets congested out there at the end of the school year,” said Sgt Correa.
He says Tacoma police officers will stay tonight until everyone gets out safely. Since graduation started at 7, that shouldn’t be too late.
As for the shooter, they are still looking for him.
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