A man shot dead by a sheriff's deputy after stabbing four people to death near Gig Harbor, Washington, on Tuesday morning had a history of mental health and substance abuse issues, according to court records. The 32-year-old suspect was killed by a Pierce County deputy who arrived to serve a domestic violence protection order at the home of the man's mother.
Records reviewed by the Associated Press show that the mother had obtained a 12-month protection order against her son in May. The order noted he struggled with substance abuse and had threatened her, saying her “grave has been already dug up”. The mother told officials her son had been “threatening me, abusing me both mentally and emotionally. Doing witchcraft/occult behaviour and doing rituals in my home. Damaging personal belongings. Hurting my cat … I am an elderly disabled woman and he is taking advantage of me and my health.”
The stabbings were reported at about 9.30am local time, and the suspect was shot dead at about 9.33am. Neither the suspect nor the victims have been publicly identified. The Seattle Times reported that the mother had sought two protection orders since December 2020, citing mental health problems and an incident in which her son threatened her daughter with a knife.
In a petition to Pierce County Superior Court last April, the mother said her son was delusional and believed himself to be “an Egyptian god”. She found her cat missing and pictures destroyed after returning home. The court granted a protection order requiring him to leave her home, stay at least 1,000ft away, surrender any weapons, and follow a mental health treatment plan involving medication.
The investigation is being handled by a specialist force from Pierce County. One line of inquiry is why the protection order had not been served on the suspect earlier, leading to the deputy's visit on Tuesday morning. The incident brings the total number of deaths to five, including the suspect.
