Two people were killed and another four wounded — all of them under the age of 21 — during an overnight shooting at a house party in Washington State, police said.
The violence unfolded just after midnight on Saturday near 25th Avenue Court East in Tacoma, roughly 40 miles south of Downtown Seattle.
By the time the shooting broke out, police had already been getting calls about the large gathering for hours, with the first coming in on Friday around 10 p.m., according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
After fielding a series of noise complaints, law enforcement responded to the scene around 12:25 a.m. to investigate reports of a street fight.
“Just before deputies arrived, shots were fired and people and vehicles were fleeing the scene,” the sheriff’s office said. “Vehicles were getting stuck in the neighborhood while chaos embodied the entire street.”
Deputies located the first victim in the street outside the home and attempted to provide life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead on the scene. Another five people “self-transported” to area hospitals, where a second person later died from their wounds, the sheriff’s office said.
The surviving victims’ remained hospitalized Saturday “with serious injuries, but they are expected to recover.” They range in age from 16 to 21 years old. None of their names have been released.
One person so far, identified only as a juvenile, has been arrested in connection with the shooting. It’s unclear whether police are seeking additional suspects, though they said two weapons were recovered at the scene.
“This is another grim reminder of how dangerous parties can be when things get out of hand,” said Public Information Officer Deputy Carly Cappetto. “Our deputies and first responders have dealt with a lot in the last 24 hours, and we would hate to respond to more unnecessary deaths. Please be safe.”
