A young man in his 20s was inside his girlfriend’s mother’s house in Tacoma during the early hours of New Year’s Day when his phone rang.
The caller told him to come outside.
He walked out the door and was shot dead. A car sped away from the scene.
Tacoma police launched a homicide investigation following the fatal shooting on the 3500 block of East Grandview Avenue around 3:39 a.m. on January 1.
Officers responding to the scene discovered the man suffering from gunshot wounds. Despite immediate lifesaving efforts by officers and assistance from Tacoma Fire Department personnel, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The victim’s family said he was at his girlfriend’s mother’s home when he received a phone call telling him to go outside. As he was leaving the house, he was shot and killed, and a car took off from the area.
“I was getting ready to lay down and then I heard, well it sounded like fireworks and then after that I saw a car fly by, and then I just heard people screaming,” Joseph Dillon, who lives near the area, said.
A surveillance camera from a neighbour also captured what sounds like three gunshots around the time the shooting was reported.
The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office is working to confirm the victim’s identity.
Detectives and Crime Scene Technicians are actively investigating the incident. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact 911.
The phone call luring the victim outside suggests premeditation and coordination. Someone knew where he was, called him specifically to get him to come out, and was waiting to shoot him when he emerged.
The 3:39 a.m. timing on New Year’s Day creates complications for the investigation. Gunshots occurring around that time could easily be mistaken for fireworks celebrating the new year, as Dillon initially thought, potentially delaying reports to police.
The residential neighbourhood location on East Grandview Avenue means the shooting occurred in an area where families live, not an industrial zone or commercial district typically associated with gang violence.
The victim being at his girlfriend’s mother’s home rather than his own residence raises questions about whether the shooter knew he’d be at that specific location or was following him.
The car speeding away immediately after the shooting indicates the shooter either had an accomplice driving or ran back to a vehicle parked nearby. Either scenario demonstrates planning rather than a spontaneous confrontation.
Dillon hearing what sounded like fireworks, then seeing a car “fly by,” then hearing people screaming creates a timeline: shots fired, vehicle fleeing, family members discovering the victim and screaming.
The surveillance footage capturing three gunshots provides critical evidence. Three shots suggest either the shooter fired multiple times to ensure the victim died or fired warning shots before fatal rounds, though the latter seems unlikely given the victim’s death.
The family providing details about the phone call indicates they either witnessed the call, heard about it from the girlfriend or her mother who were present, or found evidence of it on the victim’s phone.
Police not immediately releasing the victim’s identity whilst the Medical Examiner confirms it is standard procedure, but the family speaking to news media suggests they’ve been notified and are willing to share information publicly.
The “young man in his 20s” description without a specific age suggests either the family didn’t want to be more specific or the Medical Examiner hasn’t confirmed exact age yet.
The girlfriend and her mother being present when the victim was called outside and shot means they’re likely key witnesses who can describe the phone call, the victim’s reaction, and what they saw or heard when he went outside.
Whether the girlfriend or her mother actually witnessed the shooting or only heard shots and found the victim afterward will be important for the investigation.
The immediate lifesaving efforts by officers and fire personnel indicate the victim was still alive when first responders arrived, though he died despite those efforts. The severity of his injuries must have been catastrophic if medical intervention couldn’t save him.
The suspect fleeing in a vehicle rather than on foot suggests either longer-distance travel to and from the scene or wanting to avoid being caught on foot in the neighbourhood.
The lack of suspect description released publicly suggests either no witnesses got a good look at the shooter or vehicle, or police are withholding that information strategically during the investigation.
The New Year’s Day shooting means the victim’s family will forever associate the holiday with his murder, a cruel timing that compounds the tragedy.
