Posted on 11/29/2009 2:05:23 PM PST by llevrok
PARKLAND, Wash. - Four Lakewood Police officers were shot and killed Sunday morning in what authorities called a targeted ambush at a coffee shop.
Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer says the officers - four male and one female - were in full uniform and wearing bulletproof vests, sitting in Forza coffee shop near 116th Street and Steele Street on the east side of the Air Force base at about 8:30 a.m.
Troyer says the officers were preparing for their shift when a suspect or suspects "walked in with a handgun, opened fire multiple times and then fled the scene," said Troyer.
Troyer called it an "ambush."
"They had marked police cars, marked uniforms, there were other people inside the facility, they weren't shot, wounded or hurt or even aimed at, just the police officers were," said Troyer.
It wasn't clear whether the officers even had time to draw their weapons to return fire, Troyer said.
"This was more of an execution. Walk in with the specific mindset to shoot police officers," Troyer said.
With no known suspects, there was no indication of any connection with the Halloween night shooting of a Seattle police officer. The suspect in that shooting remains hospitalized.
"We won't know if it's a copycat effect or what it was until we get the case solved," Troyer said. "We don't even have a suspect ID right now."
Troyer would not release the names of the victims in Sunday's shooting. He said Lakewood has a small police force and the deaths represent a loss of 10 percent to 15 percent of the department.
Troyer estimates a couple hundred officers from the Washington State Patrol and multiple surrounding police agencies in the area are at the scene, with some coming on their own time.
"We have no motive at all," Troyer said. "I don't think when we find out what it is, it will be anything that makes any sense or be worth it."
Two employees and a few other customers were in the shop during the attack. All are being interviewed by the Pierce County Sheriff's investigators.
"Some are in shock. They are very upset," Troyer said. "They are the ones who are going to put together for us how this happened."
The Forza Coffee Shop, part of a popular local chain, is on a side street near McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma. The shop is in a small retail center alongside two restaurants, a cigar store and a nail salon.
Brad Carpenter, founder and owner of Forza Coffee, said his staff was OK and being interviewed by police, and that his main concern was with the families of the police officers.
"I'm a retired police officer, so this really hits close to home for me," he said.
Roads are blocked around the scene. Dave Gabrielson, a clerk at Foot Mart about a block away from the coffee shop, told the News Tribune that all was quiet when he opened the store at 8 a.m.
About 30 minutes later, "All of a sudden a million cops were zooming up and down the road," he said.
Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said "this is an example of the danger that police officers and deputy sheriffs and state troopers face every day."
"The person or people who did this not only harmed us they harmed the good that we can do in the community. They harmed the good that we work to do every day in the community," he said.
"This is an example of the cost that is sometimes paid by people who believe in duty and obligation and sacrifice and people who do that on behalf of the community."
"We've lost people that we care about, we've lost people I'm sure the good people in the community care about as well," said Pastor.
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire said she was "shocked and horrified" by the killings.
"Our police put their lives on the line every day, and tragedies like this remind us of the risks they continually take to keep our communities safe," she said in a written statement. "My heart goes out to the family, friends and co-workers of these officers, as well as the entire law enforcement community."
Troyer said there were several active scenes that officers were working. A white pick-up truck was impounded from a parking lot at one scene and a person was taken into custody at another.
He said they are looking to see if there is any surveillance cameras that may have caught the suspect on video.
Troyer said the suspect is a black male, 5-foot-7 to 6 feet tall, 20s to 30s, scruffy appearance, wearing a black coat with a gray sweatshirt underneath, and blue jeans.
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information. Tips can be called in to (253) 591-5959 or 866-977-2362.
Prayer vigil
A prayer vigil for the officers and their families will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at Tacoma Champions Centre at 1819 E. 72nd St. in Tacoma. Directions to the Tacoma Campus.
“It is criminal to let young black men go to waste in crime just because it is easier to blame anybody but the black communities’ failures.”
And yet, they still vote for Democrats. Go figure.
We’re seeing this more and more where I live; The Worker’s Paradise. A socialist enclave. When you build it, they do come!
No wayhe’ll escape. He’ll be so proud of his deed that he’ll tell someone, who will tell someone, who will. . .whoops, perp killed “trying to escape”.
Damned. Black Amish terrorists have moved to Washington State. Who would have thunk?
Washington and Oregon have had their share of domestic terrorists over the decades, but the recent ones have been anti-semitic, black or Moslem.
Let’s see what develops before we go any further.
Prays to the families of the fallen.
From the father of a police officer - Madmax
I’m coming into this late - is this the same as the McChord AFB shooting?
In the end the libturds will blame President Bush.
They now have a person of interest - Maurice Clemmons, a 37 YO black man with an extensive, violent history who just got out of prison this last Wednesday (day before Thanksgiving).
One Renton, Lakewood, WSP and Pierce County cops. An odd assortment for a pre-shift meeting.
Convicted in Tacoma May 2009 for assault on a cop.
Partially. Also financially enslaved by liberals.
To quote Lord Churchill - "It makes no difference who was the monkey or the organ grinder. They were both on the corner at the time."
Correction - this is their background before coming to the Lakewood PD
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010385617_webmansought29.html
Bye Bye Mike Huckabee....
Can you post this on breaking news?
“Uh-oh. The perp has been identified as a “scruffy black male”.
obamaholder won’t let them get away with that!”
At least they didn’t call him nappy headed...
On the local radio tonight they were saying that this particular coffee shop is a popular and convenient spot for cops from multiple jurisdictions-- the shop is "two blocks from everywhere" as they said.
Find him. Someone has to have seen him. Get to him before he kills himself or someone else. This is EXTREMELY important.
Agree...If this is the shooter, Huckabee's political career is ancient history.
Not good news for Huckaphony
Good riddance. RINOs need not apply.
The astute will notice that he conveniently leaves out his own role in commuting Clemmons' sentence over the protestations of the prosecution.Statement Regarding Washington State Slayings
"The senseless and savage execution of police officers in Washington State has saddened the nation, and early reports indicate that a person of interest is a repeat offender who once lived in Arkansas and was wanted on outstanding warrants here and Washington State. The murder of any individual is profound tragedy, but the murder of a police officer is the worst of all murders in that it is an assault on every citizen and the laws we live within.
Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State. He was recommended for and received a commutation of his original sentence from 1990, making him parole eligible and was paroled by the parole board once they determined he met the conditions at that time. He was arrested later for parole violation and taken back to prison to serve his full term, but prosecutors dropped the charges that would have held him. It appears that he has continued to have a string of criminal and psychotic behavior but was not kept incarcerated by either state. This is a horrible and tragic event and if found and convicted the offender should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Our thoughts and prayers are and should be with the families of those honorable, brave, and heroic police officers."
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