A 20-year-old suspect wanted in connection with shootings in both Tacoma and Kent died by suicide on Wednesday after an hours-long standoff at a home near Meridian Elementary School in Kent, according to police. The confrontation, which unfolded off 253rd Place and 139th Place Southeast, ended when SWAT officers breached the home and found him dead inside.
Negotiators Sought Peaceful Surrender Before Fatal Shot
Kent officers arrived at the home around 3 p.m. Wednesday after tracking the suspect there, according to FOX 13 Seattle. Negotiators established phone contact with the suspect, who had barricaded himself inside, and worked toward his peaceful surrender. Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla said officers, detectives, negotiators and the Valley SWAT team all sought to take him into custody without violence. The suspect released his family members from the home unharmed as the standoff dragged on.
At one point the suspect stepped outside, then ran back into the house and locked the door behind him, the station's report states. Officers soon heard a single gunshot from inside. When they breached the door, they found the suspect dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and attempted life-saving measures, which were unsuccessful. Padilla said no one else was physically harmed during the standoff.
Suspect Wanted in Tacoma Walmart Shooting and April Kent Robbery
The suspect was wanted in connection with two separate shootings: a drive-by outside a Tacoma Walmart on Tuesday and an armed robbery in Kent on April 24. The Tacoma shooting happened around 8:14 p.m. on Union Avenue, as off-duty, uniformed Tacoma police officers were arresting a juvenile shoplifting suspect in the parking lot, according to KIRO 7. Occupants of a passing black sedan fired four rounds into the air before fleeing the scene.
In the April 24 case, a 26-year-old Kent man suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, the region's primary Level I trauma center, FOX 13 Seattle reported. Police haven't detailed exactly how they connected the suspect to that earlier robbery, though Padilla said the Tacoma Police Department helped locate him after the Walmart shooting.
Regional Valley SWAT Team Answered the Kent Callout
The Valley SWAT team that responded to the standoff is a regional tactical unit formed by six South King County agencies — Auburn, Federal Way, Kent, Renton, Tukwila and the Port of Seattle — to pool resources across municipal lines, according to the Port of Seattle. Established in 2000, it's the largest regional tactical response unit in Washington state, averaging 10 to 30 armed barricaded-subject or hostage callouts and 40 to 50 high-risk warrants each year.
Padilla, who led Wednesday's response, has served with the Kent Police Department since 1997 and was appointed chief on May 8, 2018, according to the City of Kent. He began his law enforcement career with the Honolulu Police Department in 1992 and spent five years as a Kent assistant chief before taking the top job.
Suspect's Name Awaits Formal Identification
The King County Medical Examiner's Office will identify the suspect at a later date, per Kent police. Under the office's protocols, decedent names and autopsy findings are withheld from public release until identification is confirmed and next-of-kin notifications are complete, or up to 48 hours after confirmation, according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office. The Kent Police Department said it will continue a complete investigation into the standoff and the shootings that preceded it.
Standoff Adds to a Year of Falling Crime Numbers in Kent
The standoff comes as Kent has posted back-to-back years of declining violence. Local shootings dropped 50%, from 138 to 69 reported incidents, and homicides fell 28% in 2025 compared with 2024, according to Kent Police Department statistics presented to the Kent City Council and reported by the Kent Reporter.
In February, Kent became the first city in Washington to tap new law enforcement funding under House Bill 2015, letting the department grow from 170 to 180 sworn officer positions, per MyNorthwest. The outlet also notes that statewide data compiled earlier this year ranked Washington last in the nation for police officers per capita, a shortage that helped prompt the legislative funding push.
Kent police have also leaned on community intervention to curb gun violence among young residents. The department partnered with the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Latino Civic Alliance and Project Be Free in late 2024 to launch wraparound services for youth at risk of gun involvement, and credits the effort with helping drive a 37% drop in shots-fired incidents across South King County in early 2025, according to FOX 13 Seattle.
