Police Say Tacoma Chief Kills Wife, Self

AP

[KansasCanadian]

Police Say Tacoma Chief Kills Wife, Self

The Associated Press Apr 26 2003 10:49PM

GIG HARBOR, Wash. (AP) - Tacoma Police Chief David Brame was killed and his wife was injured in an apparent murder-suicide attempt Saturday, a day after abuse allegations in the couple's divorce case were publicized in media reports.

``The probability is strong that the chief shot his wife and then himself,'' Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Brame was pronounced dead at 5:52 p.m. at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, Troyer said. His wife, Crystal, was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition.

The shooting took place around 3:10 p.m. in the parking lot of a shopping center in this town northwest of Tacoma, Troyer said.

The chief and his wife arrived in the parking lot separate cars, with the couple's children in Crystal Brame's vehicle. At one point, the chief put the children in his car, then went back to his wife's car, shot her and turned the gun on himself, authorities believe.

A witness said she saw people in the parking lot running around and screaming after the shootings.

``They had no idea. They were just running for safety,'' said Kirsten Oakland, 36, and a hair stylist at Harbor Cutter, a shop that looks out onto the parking lot.

The children were in the care of their mother's parents Saturday night, Troyer said. No other information about the children was released.

Brame rose through the ranks to become police chief in Tacoma, a city of 194,000, in January 2002.

``It's a bad day for law enforcement,'' Troyer said. ``This is somebody everybody knew and respected.''

``He was exactly what you want,'' Troyer added, ``rose up through the ranks, worked very hard and made chief.''

On Friday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that documents in the couple's divorce case recounted a stormy, sometimes violent relationship.

Crystal Brame accused her husband of pointing his gun at her, trying to choke her and saying he ``could snap my neck if he wanted to.''

But Brame said he had been victimized in the relationship. He accused his wife of having a ``ferocious temper'' and being emotionally unstable.

In court papers, Brame said his wife scratched, bruised and pushed him during two fights in September 1996.

[steve86]

Bump

[CPT Clay]

Wasn't this the scumbag that supported the harbor of terrorists?

[RWG]

Tacoma is so corrupt you would think clinton is mayor.

[steve86]

NWCN.com has an artcle stating that he had previously pointed his service revolver at the wife, saying "Accidents happen" (according to the wife), and that he had shown up at work with bruises which an officer photographed. I am very sorry the kids are without a father (for sure) and a mother (maybe). Sounds like nether one was a paragon of virtue and just a bad mix, but he is the one who pulled the trigegr.

[BluH2o]

Some people can bring out the best in you ... others the worst. Marriage, more often than not, is merely a flip of the coin ... both parties hope the person they marry remain the ideal. Circumstances may change in marriage, most often they do, and the people involved will change as well. In this instance it resulted in the worst possible outcome. Tragic indeed ...

[Cicero]

Tragic, yes. But the question is, why do Seattle and Tacoma put thee people in all their top jobs?

[American Soldier]

What the heck is it with Tacoma? It amazes me that nobody has seriously suggested the place is cursed by God. Does anything good ever come from our poor city? I guess we have the Chihuly glass museum. Snort.

There's Fort Lewis, McChord Air Force Base, and that's about it.

Otherwise, there's the crips on Hilltop (though I guess a lot of them were supposedly run out) and the distinction of being in the leading county for meth production in the United States.

I think Tacoma may serve the same purpose for the rest of Washington as Australia did for the British Empire. Except the settlers didn't clean up their act.

[steve86]

Wasn't this the scumbag that supported the harbor of terrorists?

Are you sure you aren't thinking of Portland Mayor Vera Klutz or whatever her name is?

I don't know, the D.C. sniper had his practice shooting range in Tacoma.

[11th Earl of Mar]

Police Say Tacoma Chief Kills Wife, Self ... Tacoma Police Chief David Brame was killed and his wife was injured in an apparent murder-suicide attempt ...His wife, Crystal, was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition.

So she is NOT dead?

[Bonaparte]

"Does anything good ever come from our poor city?"

Well, Ted Bundy grew up there. And they say he was a real good serial killer.

[microgood]

Its the rain. And no sun.

[trussell]

Bump

[BluH2o]

But the question is, why do Seattle and Tacoma put thee people in all their top jobs?

Well, the liberal left coast seems to promote public officials based on the touchy feely principle. Not sure, but I'm willing to bet the Tacoma Chief is originally from California ... that seems to be criteria for promotion to key civic leadership position in the northwest.

[Aaron0617]

Is it a sign of Spring? Four prominent murder suicides in the last 4 days.

Student and Principal, Ex-boyfriend and Lyric Benson, U of Maryland male student and girl, and now this Tacoma Chief. (Not counting the father who killed his three sons then himself)

Did I miss one?

[June Cleaver]

LOL . . . I'm beginning to believe that, and I've been in this area (Tacoma) for only about 8 months. Luckily we are headed east this summer!

[The Hon. Galahad Threepwood]

``The probability is strong that the chief shot his wife and then himself,'' Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Yeah, that's the order it's usually done in.

[Libertina]

And a retired sheriff has been arrested for having child porn in his home... What is going on in this part of the world? Looks as if Seattle is leaking south... ;) (Waiting for Seattle FReepers to let me have it! LOL)

[Calvin Locke]

Hey! Don't go knocking on Ted. Ted spent his earliest time at the home for unwed mothers down the street from a HS I attended.

Come to think of it, there was a chinese restaurant near that home where one partner murdered the other a couple of years ago.

Ted's ghost is apparently lives! Attention! Attention! Utah and Florida! Avoid Ted Bundy haunts! That is all.

[Sicvee]

Tacoma's previous police chief was an outsider who lost the respect of the force. This guy came up through the ranks. I was just reading about his marital problems this morning in the Tacoma paper. And there was an editorial saying the city itself should do something about it, so the glare of publicity was on him. I wonder if he realized how little anyone really cares about his personal problems as long as his job performance was OK--or to say it another way--so what if everyone thinks you're a jerk, there's still plenty to live for.