Tacoma, Washington



From the Tacoma News Tribune of October 4, 2004

Man killed in Tacoma during melee, struggle over rifle



A man was shot to death in Tacoma on Sunday morning in what police said appeared to be a case of self defense.



The incident took place at a house in the 2500 block of South L Street, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.



A man who was staying in the house as a guest told officers there was a knock at the front door about 9 a.m. He answered and found a man on the porch asking to speak to a woman who lives at the home, Fulghum said.



The guest said he would get the woman, who apparently was in her bedroom, Fulghum said.



The man who dropped by followed the other fellow into the house. When they arrived at the woman's bedroom door, the man sucker-punched the guest in the head, Fulghum said. A fight then broke out between the two, and the woman who lives in the house and the guest's wife eventually joined the melee, Fulghum said.



At one point, the guest and his assailant spotted a rifle lying nearby and began to struggle over it, police reported.



During the struggle, the guest pulled the gun's trigger, firing one shot that hit the other man and killed him, Fulghum said.



Police took the guest to a local hospital where he was treated for injuries suffered in the fight.



He and the two women were then taken to police headquarters downtown where they were interviewed and released, Fulghum said.



"Nobody has been arrested at this point," he said. "There doesn't seem to be anything malicious. It looks like he was protecting himself."