Court records show years of threats at WA home prior to fatal stabbings

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - Court documents provide new insight into what may have led to the deadly stabbing of four people near Gig Harbor on Tuesday. Though Piece County investigators have not released the names or relationships of the victims, records connect the scene of the crime to years of mental illness and domestic violence.

"I did get a feeling that something was off, but not that something like this would have ever happened," said one neighbor who was home when the incident happened.

Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a home off 87th Ave Ct. NW near Gig Harbor. The initial call was for a reported protection order violation. However, investigators said the order had not been officially served to the 32-year-old suspect. 

"There wasn’t a violation yet of that order. So, the [responding] deputy was able to obtain a copy of it to serve when they got there. While the deputy was getting that information, more information came out that there was an active stabbing occurring at the location," said Officer Shelbie Boyd, public information officer for the Tacoma Police Department.

Boyd said a deputy reported that shots were fired at the scene. The 32-year-old man was killed by the shots fired. Officials said the man was suspected of stabbing four people outside a home. Three people died at the scene, and the fourth died at a hospital.

"It just took over my whole day. I just felt numb all day long," said one neighbor who claimed to hear at least four gunshots. "Just shocking, like how it happened, how fast it happened, how many people were involved in such a short amount of time."

Court records, provided by the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, give a deeper understanding about a painful fight to protect the same home against violence. For several years, a 52-year-old mother had been filing domestic violence protection orders against her adult son who was mentally ill. 

In a petition to the court in December 2020, the mother said her son pushed her and threatened her daughter’s boyfriend with a knife inside the home. The mother wrote, "I don’t feel safe in my house."

In April 2025, the records said the son had been "having escalating mental health issues which include grandiosity, auditory hallucinations, and command hallucinations."

It was around that same time of year when one neighbor recalled seeing a family dispute.

"Her son and daughter were fighting very publicly on the road, like just right here in the cul-de-sac, and law enforcement was called, and they did come down. It was like a whole thing, and they had to de-escalate it," said the neighbor.

In an April 2025 petition for a temporary protection order, the mother wrote that her son mentioned, "my grave has already been dug up for me. I fear for my life," and that his mental health "has only gotten worse."

Another court record stated that her son’s, "current command hallucinations tell him he is a God and that the petitioner must obey him." The document further mentioned the mother was "afraid for her physical safety."

The neighbor, who asked to keep their identity private, said the woman lived in the neighborhood for several years. 

"Even though there were troubles there, she still did talk to neighbors, and she still knew other people. She was just quiet," said the neighbor, who heard the gunshots.

Since sheriff’s deputies fired the shots that killed the 32-year-old suspect, the Pierce County Force Investigation Team is handling the investigation. The Tacoma Police Department is the lead agency on the case.

The victims and suspect’s names, ages, and possible relationships will be released at a later time as the investigation continues.

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