Boy killed, girl wounded in separate Tacoma shootings on Thursday. Here’s what’s known

Separate shootings on Thursday in Tacoma left a 14-year-old boy dead and a 13-year-old girl wounded, prompting statements from the mayor and police chief calling the violence a tragedy felt throughout the city.

The Tacoma Police Department has released few details about the shootings, and neither victim has been publicly identified. Police are working to find the shooters. A spokesperson said Friday that so far police have no reason to suspect that the two incidents are connected.

Here’s what’s known:

The first shooting was reported just before 3 p.m. near Portland Avenue East and 40th Street in the Salishan neighborhood, located in Tacoma’s Eastside. Police said 911 dispatchers received calls of shots fired in that area, and when officers arrived, they administered first aid to the injured boy until Tacoma Fire Department personnel arrived. The boy was taken to a hospital, where police said he died of his injuries.

It’s not clear what led to the shooting, but police scanner traffic indicated that one 911 caller reported a vehicle pulled up, someone shot the boy and fled. Police spokesperson Wendy Haddow said Thursday that was her understanding of how the shooting occurred.

Police did not have any suspect information to release Thursday night or Friday morning.

The shooting also led to a lockdown at a school nearby. Blix Elementary School, 1302 E. 38th St., was put into a lockdown for the last 20 minutes of the school day at the direction of police, Tacoma Public Schools spokesperson Tanisha Jumper said. The boy was a Tacoma Public Schools student, she said. In a statement, the district said its crisis teams were in schools Friday to help students and staff deal with the loss.

The boy’s murder is the first homicide to occur in Tacoma or Pierce County so far this year. At this time last year, four homicides had occurred in the county, none of which were in Tacoma. Of the 79 homicides reported across the county last year, victims under the age of 20 accounted for four deaths.

In a written statement, Police Chief Avery Moore said Friday that the boy’s murder was “heinous” and that the department would not waver in the pursuit of those responsible. Moore said the death of a child at any age is devastating, but that losing a child to murder shakes “the very foundation of our entire community.” He said the department grieved for the family.

“The Tacoma Police Department will continue to fight against violent crime,” Moore said. “Everyone deserves a safe place to call home, and no child should fear their community, nor should any parent have to bury a child.”

The second shooting was reported at about 7:39 p.m. near the 2100 block of South J Street in the Hilltop neighborhood, according to a news release. Police responded after dispatchers received 911 calls about a two-car collision in that area. Haddow said Friday that officers confirmed a 13-year-old girl was shot and suffered injuries that weren’t life threatening. The girl was taken to a local hospital.

Haddow said the circumstances of the shooting aren’t known, but that it occurred before the collision. No injuries were reported from the car incident.

Mayor Victoria Woodards issued a statement on “recent violence” Thursday evening, referring specifically to the 14-year-old homicide victim. She said it was a tragic day for Tacoma and said she and city council remain committed to reversing the trend of increasing violence seen in recent years.

“This is a tragic day for Tacoma,” Woodards said.