A man suffered a grazing gunshot wound on Christmas afternoon in east Tacoma, the latest in a string of holiday violence that interrupted what should have been a day of celebration.
The shooting happened just before 4:30 p.m. in the 5600 block of East McKinley Avenue, according to Tacoma Police Department Public Information Officer Shelbie Boyd.
The victim’s injury was non-life-threatening, described as a grazing wound where the bullet passed close enough to break skin but didn’t penetrate deeply.
What led to someone firing a gun on Christmas afternoon in a residential neighbourhood remains unclear. Police haven’t released any information about the circumstances that preceded the shooting.
Officers contacted several people in the area after responding to the scene. Whether any of those individuals are connected to the shooting hasn’t been confirmed, Boyd said.
No arrests have been announced, and no suspect information has been released as the investigation continues.
The 4:30 p.m. timing places the shooting in late afternoon on Christmas Day, when families across Tacoma were likely finishing holiday dinners or settling in for the evening. The sound of gunfire in a residential area at that hour would have been jarring for neighbours celebrating the holiday.
East McKinley Avenue in the 5600 block sits in a residential section of east Tacoma where single-family homes and apartment complexes mix together. The area has experienced periodic violence, though a Christmas Day shooting represents an escalation in timing if not necessarily severity.
A grazing gunshot wound can range from a superficial scratch to a deeper laceration depending on the angle and proximity of the bullet’s path. The “non-life-threatening” designation indicates the wound didn’t hit major blood vessels, organs, or bone, but even minor gunshot wounds require medical attention and can leave lasting scars.
The fact that police contacted several people in the area suggests witnesses were present or that multiple individuals were involved in whatever dispute led to the shooting. In residential neighbourhoods, gunfire typically draws immediate attention from people nearby who can provide information about what they saw or heard.
Boyd’s careful language about not confirming whether those contacted individuals are connected to the shooting indicates the investigation is in early stages where police are gathering information without making definitive determinations about who was involved.
The lack of immediate suspect information could mean the shooter fled before police arrived, or that witnesses aren’t cooperating, or that the circumstances are complex enough that investigators need more time to sort out what happened.
Christmas Day shootings often involve domestic disputes, alcohol-fuelled arguments, or conflicts that escalate when people who don’t get along are forced together during family gatherings. The holiday can intensify existing tensions, and adding alcohol to volatile situations sometimes leads to violence.
The residential location suggests this wasn’t a random drive-by shooting but rather an incident involving people with some connection to that address, whether as residents, visitors, or people with prior conflicts.
