Tacoma mayor looking for answers after five people shot in less than 36 hours

In less than 36 hours, five people have been shot in Tacoma; two people have died, and the mayor says she will find answers.

On Jan. 20, just after 5:30 a.m., a 36-year-old man with gunshot wounds was dropped off at a hospital. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

This was just one of three sepearte shootings which happened between Monday night and Wednesday morning.

In total, five people were shot in about 36 hours. 

"It's very concerning, concerning for me, concerning for this entire council," said Tacoma's Mayor Victora Woodards.

Tacoma has seen about a 47% increase in homicides from 2019 to 2020, a troubling statistic to Woodards.

In 2019, she and several other city leaders marched through the streets to raise awareness for the growing number of homicides that year. In total, there were 21 homicdes in 2019; 2020 saw 31.

The pandemic makes outreach difficult, but Woodards says that is no excuse.

"We're going to look to find an answer, and we're going to look to find a way to minimize the homicides in our community," she said.

Tacoma Police are asking anyone in the community for assistance in solving these killings.

"At this time, none of these [homicides] can be connected in any way or have been connected in any way. They all seem to be separate incidents. We join with the community in our concern over these violent crimes and our detectives and officers are working diligently to get these cases solved," said Tacoma police public information officer Wendy Haddow. 

Haddow says anyone with information can either call Tacoma Police or Crime Stoppers of Tacoma-Pierce County.