MOD 1
11-29-2009, 08:48 PM
From the Seattle Times
Four Lakewood Police officers were shot to death in a Lakewood area coffee shop at about 8:15 a.m. in an apparent targeted "execution" by a scruffy looking man who walked into the coffee shop and opened fire.
The four officers, three men and one woman, were found dead by deputies who arrived at Forza Coffee at 11401 Steele Street South, said Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer. The officers made up one patrol unit, including a sergeant.
"It's carnage out front everywhere," Troyer said, describing the front of the coffee shop. "It's like a bad horror movie, it's horrible."
The officers were in uniform, including bulletproof vests, and were working on their laptop computers as they prepared to start their day shifts, Troyer said. It is unclear if they drew their guns and fired their weapons, he said.
"This was a targeted, selective ambush," Troyer said.
Police were looking for a "person of interest" — a Parkland man in his 30s, sources told the Seattle Times. Troyer said there may have been a driver who helped the suspect get away, and police had a description of the possible driver.
The gunman was described as a black man in his 20s or 30s, between 5-feet-7 inches and 5-feet-10-inches, who fled the scene. He was wearing a black coat over a gray hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, Troyer said.
KING-TV reported that police had taken a man into custody after an assault team surrounded a house on 133rd Street South. The person was seen being taken away in handcuffs after coming out of the house without incident. It is unclear if the man is a witness or suspect.
Two coffee shop employees and several customers are being interviewed by police and considered critical witnesses, Troyer said. "As you can imagine, they are traumatized, they are in shock," said Troyer. No one else was hurt.
Brad Carpenter, CEO of Forza Coffee, met with the two young female baristas after they were interviewed by police and said they were "shaken up." The slain officers were "well known to our staff," Carpenter, a retired police officer from Oakland and Gig Harbor.
"It's supposed to be a safe haven for everybody," Carpenter said about the coffee shop.
Police seized a white pickup truck parked in a nearby parking lot and took it away on a flatbed truck. Detectives were preparing search warrants for multiple locations, Troyer said.
The shootings come about a month after the killing of Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton, who was targeted for being a police officer when he was gunned down while sitting in his patrol car the night of Oct. 31.
A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest.
Forza Coffee is in a strip mall across the street from McChord Air Force Base and at a crossroads beteween Parkland and Lakewood, with a mix of residences and industrial businesses.
Immediately after the 911 call came in, police from Lakewood, Tacoma, the Pierce County Sheriff and other jurisdictions raced to the area. "I have never seen this many scramble to a particular spot, ever," said David Gabrielson, 27, who works as clerk at a gas station near the coffee shop.
Troyer said officers "were self-dispatching from multiple agencies" to help. He also said law enforcement had not received any threats or warnings.
"We don't know if this is related to other shootings around the country or the one in Seattle," Troyer said. "It could be because someone saw this happening around the country and got himself ramped up."
Troyer said a KING-5 TV helicopter was interfering with "tactical operations" of police investigating the shootings, slowing down the search for suspects. The pilot had been asked to leave and refused, but KING apparently called off the helicopter.
Monty Norman, 44, of Lakewood works at a car wash and detailing shop three blocks from the Lakewood Police Department headquarters. Officers come in the shop every day to have their cars cleaned.
"It's just crazy. Just insane. Words can't explain. It's just a bad feeling, We see them (officers) every day. They're really good people," Norman said.
In a statement, Gov. Chris Gregoire expressed condolences for the family and co-workers of the slain officers. "I am shocked and horrified at the murder of four police officers this morning in Pierce County. Our police put their lives on the line every day, and tragedies like this remind us of the risks they continually take to keep our communities safe.
"I offer whatever support is needed to the Pierce County Sheriff in their search for the perpetrator of this terrible crime."
Four Lakewood Police officers were shot to death in a Lakewood area coffee shop at about 8:15 a.m. in an apparent targeted "execution" by a scruffy looking man who walked into the coffee shop and opened fire.
The four officers, three men and one woman, were found dead by deputies who arrived at Forza Coffee at 11401 Steele Street South, said Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer. The officers made up one patrol unit, including a sergeant.
"It's carnage out front everywhere," Troyer said, describing the front of the coffee shop. "It's like a bad horror movie, it's horrible."
The officers were in uniform, including bulletproof vests, and were working on their laptop computers as they prepared to start their day shifts, Troyer said. It is unclear if they drew their guns and fired their weapons, he said.
"This was a targeted, selective ambush," Troyer said.
Police were looking for a "person of interest" — a Parkland man in his 30s, sources told the Seattle Times. Troyer said there may have been a driver who helped the suspect get away, and police had a description of the possible driver.
The gunman was described as a black man in his 20s or 30s, between 5-feet-7 inches and 5-feet-10-inches, who fled the scene. He was wearing a black coat over a gray hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, Troyer said.
KING-TV reported that police had taken a man into custody after an assault team surrounded a house on 133rd Street South. The person was seen being taken away in handcuffs after coming out of the house without incident. It is unclear if the man is a witness or suspect.
Two coffee shop employees and several customers are being interviewed by police and considered critical witnesses, Troyer said. "As you can imagine, they are traumatized, they are in shock," said Troyer. No one else was hurt.
Brad Carpenter, CEO of Forza Coffee, met with the two young female baristas after they were interviewed by police and said they were "shaken up." The slain officers were "well known to our staff," Carpenter, a retired police officer from Oakland and Gig Harbor.
"It's supposed to be a safe haven for everybody," Carpenter said about the coffee shop.
Police seized a white pickup truck parked in a nearby parking lot and took it away on a flatbed truck. Detectives were preparing search warrants for multiple locations, Troyer said.
The shootings come about a month after the killing of Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton, who was targeted for being a police officer when he was gunned down while sitting in his patrol car the night of Oct. 31.
A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest.
Forza Coffee is in a strip mall across the street from McChord Air Force Base and at a crossroads beteween Parkland and Lakewood, with a mix of residences and industrial businesses.
Immediately after the 911 call came in, police from Lakewood, Tacoma, the Pierce County Sheriff and other jurisdictions raced to the area. "I have never seen this many scramble to a particular spot, ever," said David Gabrielson, 27, who works as clerk at a gas station near the coffee shop.
Troyer said officers "were self-dispatching from multiple agencies" to help. He also said law enforcement had not received any threats or warnings.
"We don't know if this is related to other shootings around the country or the one in Seattle," Troyer said. "It could be because someone saw this happening around the country and got himself ramped up."
Troyer said a KING-5 TV helicopter was interfering with "tactical operations" of police investigating the shootings, slowing down the search for suspects. The pilot had been asked to leave and refused, but KING apparently called off the helicopter.
Monty Norman, 44, of Lakewood works at a car wash and detailing shop three blocks from the Lakewood Police Department headquarters. Officers come in the shop every day to have their cars cleaned.
"It's just crazy. Just insane. Words can't explain. It's just a bad feeling, We see them (officers) every day. They're really good people," Norman said.
In a statement, Gov. Chris Gregoire expressed condolences for the family and co-workers of the slain officers. "I am shocked and horrified at the murder of four police officers this morning in Pierce County. Our police put their lives on the line every day, and tragedies like this remind us of the risks they continually take to keep our communities safe.
"I offer whatever support is needed to the Pierce County Sheriff in their search for the perpetrator of this terrible crime."