Two men died after being shot in downtown Tacoma overnight Sunday, and police are now asking anyone with information to come forward as detectives work to piece together what happened. Officers were called to 800 Pacific Avenue at about 12:30 a.m. following reports of shots fired, and both men were pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the News Tribune, police found the two men suffering from gunshot wounds after arriving at the scene, and officers along with Tacoma Fire Department personnel attempted life-saving measures before both men died. Officer Shelbie Boyd confirmed the discovery to the paper Sunday, saying simply that police found two men who had suffered gunshot wounds. Police have since announced that a homicide investigation is underway.
Detectives Seek Witnesses and Video
Detectives and crime scene technicians responded to 800 Pacific Avenue to begin piecing together the circumstances of the shooting, the paper's report notes. Investigators are talking to witnesses and trying to find video images of the incident as they work to determine what led to the gunfire. Anyone with information has been asked to call 911.
The shooting happened in a downtown commercial district lined with bars, breweries and restaurants. Neighbors said they heard dozens of shots before officers arrived, and investigators found no immediate sign of a shooter at the scene. The late-night setting and nearby businesses may make witnesses or surveillance footage important as detectives work to establish how the gunfire began and who was involved. The area and neighbors’ accounts add context to the police search for evidence.
A Violent Year for Tacoma and Pierce County
The shooting adds to what has already been a difficult year for violent crime in the region. Pierce County recorded 49 homicides in 2025, down from 55 the year before, while Tacoma itself logged 25 homicides last year, an increase of three from 2024, per the same outlet's earlier reporting. About 71 percent of the county's homicides last year involved shootings, a 10 percent decrease from 2024, and roughly 20 percent of Tacoma's homicides from that year remain unsolved.
The 2025 countywide toll provides a recent benchmark: Pierce County recorded 49 homicides, with about 71% of victims killed by gunfire. In Tacoma, the two deaths in Sunday’s shooting brought the city’s 2026 homicide count to 18—the same number recorded by this point in 2025. The figures show little change in Tacoma’s year-to-date total even as the county’s full-year 2025 count fell from 55 in 2024. Pierce County’s 2025 figures and Tacoma’s year-to-date comparison put the new case in perspective.
Pierce County also saw four double-homicide investigations in 2025, making Sunday's case the kind of incident that has become distressingly familiar for county investigators even as some neighboring cities have seen relief. Lakewood, for instance, recorded zero homicides last year, a sharp drop from four in 2024 and five in 2023, the news organization's crime data review found.
No suspect information, arrests, or motive have been released in connection with Sunday's shooting, and police have not said whether the gunfire occurred inside or outside the building at 800 Pacific Avenue. The investigation remains active as detectives continue gathering evidence and witness accounts from the scene in downtown Tacoma.
