2 dead, 4 injured after mass shooting in Washington neighborhood
Sheriff’s deputies responded to a large house party just south of Tacoma. Dozens of young people were reportedly running and screaming.
Two young people are dead and several others were injured when a house party spiraled into chaos and gun violence, local officials in Washington state said.
Just after midnight, Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a large house party south of Tacoma. Dozens of young people were reportedly running and screaming in the suburban neighborhood, the sheriff’s department said on social media.
An altercation apparently began inside the home before multiple callers reported a fight breaking out in the street, Sheriff's Deputy Carly Cappetto told Paste BN. Just as deputies arrived, shots rang out as people and cars fled the area, located just east of Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
“Vehicles were getting stuck in the neighborhood while chaos embodied the entire street,” the sheriff’s department statement said. Cappetto said deputies had to tend to injured people on the front lawn and on the road.
In the street, deputies found a 19-year-old man and attempted life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead. Five others transported themselves to local hospitals. One person died from his injuries at the hospital. Four others were at local hospitals with serious injuries but are expected to recover, the sheriff’s department said.
Gunshot victims range from a 16-year-old boy, to others ages 17 to 21.
Deputies took a 17-year-old boy into custody after he left the scene, Cappetto said. He's expected to be booked in a Tacoma juvenile detention center on two counts of second-degree murder.
No other suspects are wanted, but the investigation is ongoing, Cappetto said
Deputies recovered two handguns, Cappetto said. Officials estimated more than 20 shell casings were scattered throughout the street. Officials added nearby homes and vehicles were hit by gunfire, though no other victims have been located.
Saturday's mass shooting is the county's largest in recent memory, Cappetto said. Youth shootings aren't new, though. In September, another house party, nearby in Sumner, resulted in a shooting that left one man dead and two teens wounded.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)