Four Lakewood police officers shot and killed Sunday

Written on 1:50 PM by Admin

Lakewood police department Washington

Tags:

Lakewood police department
Pierce county sheriff

A Pierce County manhunt is now under way after four Lakewood Police officers were shot and killed execution-style today in the Parkland area.

Sgt. Ed Troyer, Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman, said all available officers are combing several potential crime scenes, including one on Pacific Highway where a suspect’s pickup truck reportedly was abandoned.

According to The Associated Press, a gunman burst into a coffeehouse early Sunday and opened fire on four police officers as they sat working on their laptops, killing the three men and one woman in what an official described as a targeted ambush.

Troyer said officers were looking for one male suspect who fled on foot, but haven't ruled out an accomplice.

Troyer said the four officers killed — all from the Lakewood Police Department — were catching up on paperwork at the beginning of their shifts when they were attacked at 8:15 a.m. Sunday.

The News Tribune of Tacoma reports officers are looking for a single suspect, “described as a black male, 5-foot-8 to 5-9 and in his 20s or 30s. He had scruffy facial hair with a black coat and blue jeans. He used a handgun.”

Troyer said the attack was clearly targeted at the officers. He added that police are checking out reports that there might be another male involved, possibly a get-away driver.

In a later interview just before noon, Troyer would not speculate as to any motive, and said there was no threat or warning. He did, however, wonder if it might have been sparked by the recent news of violent attacks around the country, including the recent fatal attack on Seattle Police officer Timothy Brenton.
The Lakewood shootings took place at the Forza Coffee Shop near the McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, about 35 miles south of Seattle.

“We don’t have any threat, we don’t have any targeted people,” Troyer told reporters, having no answer to the question of why the officers were singled out.”Chances are there is not going to be a good answer. There is not an answer that makes any sense.”
KING-TV has been broadcasting live all morning and has the best information from the scene.
A tip line has been set up at 1-866-977-2362.