Four people were fatally stabbed by an irate man during a reported violation of a no-contact order in a quaint waterfront community in Washington state on Tuesday morning.
The 32-year-old wielding the knife was shot and killed by the lone responding deputy, Tacoma Police Officer Shelbie Boyd said.
Three victims died at the harrowing scene in Key Peninsula in Pierce County, Washington. A fourth was rushed to a nearby hospital, but succumbed to their injuries, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
The relationship between the victims and the suspect is currently unknown, Boyd said.
Police responded to reports of a no-contact order violation in progress around 8:40 a.m., but learned before they arrived that the order wasn’t actually valid since it hadn’t been served yet.
Deputies received a copy of the order to serve the suspect, but as they were en route to the Key Peninsula home, they received an additional report that a man was seen stabbing people outside the residence.
“In order for a violation to be valid, the individual has to have been served so that there’s knowledge that the judge has prohibited them to have contact and what those requirements or conditions are,” Boyd explained.
Police aren’t sure who the caller first reported the stabbings was, but Boyd said she assumes “it was somebody who had knowledge of the order.”
The Pierce County Force Investigation Team is leading the investigation. Police said the scene is still “very active,” and they are still working on identifying the victims.