Officer shot to death during call in Seattle
Police take out gunman holding 2 kids as a shield
SEATTLE — A Washington state police officer responding to a domestic violence call was fatally shot and his fellow officers were still “taking fire” as they removed him from a home, beginning an 11-hour standoff during which authorities say the gunman used two young children as human shields.
The fallen officer, Reginald “Jake” Gutierrez, had served with the department since 1999 and was highly respected and experienced, Tacoma Police Chief Donald Ramsdell told reporters Thursday.
Dozens of officers had surrounded the home in Tacoma on Wednesday night, urging nearby residents of the working class neighborhood of singlefamily homes to shelter in place.
Early Thursday, authorities say a deputy got “a clear shot” and killed the suspect as officers rescued an 8-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy.
Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said the gunman had refused to surrender. His name was not released.
“We were able to get the suspect cornered and trapped, even though he had two kids,” Troyer said. “We had a SWAT member who had a clear shot. We fired one round, which struck him.”
Ramsdell said the incident began Wednesday afternoon when animal control officers working near the house were approached by a woman who said her husband had locked her out and taken her phone. The officers called police.
Gutierrez and his female partner went into the home, and Gutierrez was shot as he reached the top of the stairs to speak with the suspect, Ramsdell said.
Ramsdell said the suspect did not have a “serious background in regards to criminal history” but there may have been issues with mental illness.
The shooting sparked an outpouring of support from the community and public officials, who left flowers at the front of the police department, under a large police badge carried a black ribbon across the center.