A Tacoma man is facing serious charges after allegedly stabbing three people and setting multiple fires in a clean-and-sober living home, in an early morning attack that left one victim severely burned and critically injured. Andrew Cole Keen, 29, has been charged with second-degree attempted murder and first-degree arson following the incident on January 20th.
According to KOMO News, police received a warning from Keen's father about his son's alarming messages, which indicated plans of committing violence that night. Shortly after, multiple 911 calls reported a house on fire and individuals stabbed in the 4000 block of South 34th Street.
Upon arrival, officers found the house engulfed in flames. Some residents had managed to escape, while others were fighting to get out through windows and jumping from the upper floors, KING 5 reports. Three men were transported to hospitals for stab wounds, one also suffering from critical burns.
During the search for Keen, officers eventually located a suspect matching his description outside a convenience store, where he attempted to flee. He was apprehended with blood on his hands and a cut on his hand, which, he claimed, was from opening a bag of peaches. Keen was found to be carrying a knife and fire-starting materials in his pockets, but refused to speak further without an attorney, according to FOX 13 Seattle.
The Tacoma Fire Department was able to contain the fire, and subsequent investigations suggested the fire had been intentionally set, compounding the trauma and danger faced by the home's residents. The exact extent of the property damage caused by the blaze is yet unknown. The recovery home, which provides a sanctuary for individuals striving to maintain sobriety, now reels from the violence that shattered its promise of safety and support.
