Four police officers were shot and killed Sunday morning in what has been termed an ambush. The four were in a cafe in a strip mall in the Tacoma suburb of Lakewood. They were preparing for their day shifts, and had their laptops, with them, when a gunman walked in and opened fire.
It is unclear if the attack was by one or two gunmen. Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer, initially reported one gunman. However, later reports indicate that police are possibly looking for a second person of interest. A $10,000 reward had been offered for information leading to an arrest, he said. The attack took place at 8 AM local time.
Lakewood is about 40 miles south of Seattle and 10 miles southwest of Tacoma. The coffee shop itself borders on the edge of McCord Air Force Base. Spokesmen said the base was not shut down, but security was increased around the perimeter as a precaution.
Brad Carpenter is the founder of Forza Coffee, which is a chain. The employees at this outlet were all accounted for, and unharmed, according to reports. Carpenter started Forza in 2002 and now has 21 stores, primarily in the Tacoma area.
The killings are starkly reminiscent of the deaths of four Oakland, CA police officers, which took place in March of 2009. In that case, four officers were killed by the same suspect at two different locations, on the same day. This case differs in that, according to Troyer, it was a "targeted, selected ambush."
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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