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Pierce County mass shooting: Why deputies arrived 30 seconds too late, despite noise complaint 90-minutes earlier

Apr 1, 2025, 12:16 PM | Updated: 12:21 pm

pierce county mass shooting...

Pierce County Sheriff's Office deputies arriving at a crime scene. (Photo courtesy of 成人X站 7)

(Photo courtesy of 成人X站 7)

Ninety minutes before a mass shooting broke out at a house party overnight on Saturday, Pierce County sheriff鈥檚 deputies were called to the scene via a noise complaint from neighboring residents. But by the time they arrived, a shooting had already taken place, claiming the lives of two young victims.

According to spokesperson Carly Cappetto, the shooting broke out 30 seconds before deputies arrived at the scene.

Why was there a delay in police response? Deputies were responding to high priority calls.

What delayed the sheriff’s office’s response?

When the noise complaint was first called in at approximately 10:45 p.m. Friday, an armed robbery call came in at the same time鈥攖aking priority. And other deputies who might have been able to respond were occupied with an earlier, unrelated homicide.

Deputies were dispatched to the noise complaint at 11:45 p.m., but were then diverted to assist with a high-risk traffic stop.

“It鈥檚 frustrating as a citizen, right?” Cappetto told 成人X站 Newsradio. “I mean, you want a response from your deputies, and when you call 911 and want something done about it, you want something done about it now.”

Once the deputies finished at the traffic stop, they headed to the noise complaint at the party. Approximately 30 seconds before they arrived, shots rang out, leaving two dead and four injured.

According to Cappetto, staffing levels at the Pierce County Sheriff鈥檚 Office have not changed in more than 20 years.

“What has changed is our deputy-to-population ratio,” Cappetto said. “Population growth is huge in Pierce County, but we鈥檝e never changed our ratios for our deputies.”

What happened during the mass shooting

When deputies arrived, they found a victim dead in the street in front of the home hosting the party.

According to the Pierce County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, multiple people were armed at the party, and those who were shot by the suspect fired shots back before collapsing. Six people were shot in total, and two died鈥攁 15-year-old and a 19-year-old. The four other victims remain at local hospitals with serious injuries, but are expected to recover.

The party was hosted by a 17-year-old girl, whose mother was reportedly home at the time of the party. According to responding deputies, she said she didn鈥檛 see the shooting.

An arrest and charges

The Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney鈥檚 Office filed charges on Monday against a 17-year-old they suspect shot and killed the two teenagers during the house party.

The 17-year-old was charged with two counts of murder in the first degree and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree. The teen appeared in court Monday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to all three counts. His bail is currently at $2 million.

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