Man facing charges after infant grazed by bullet, hit by broken glass during Lakewood shooting

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — An infant was grazed by a bullet in the tricep and hit by broken glass in the head during a shooting in Lakewood on Friday evening, said police.

Lakewood Police Department tweeted Friday at 6:36 p.m. that they responded to a shooting on Gravelly Lake Drive.

Officers were sent to an unknown trouble incident with activated fire alarms. Officers were also told that shots were fired at the LASA apartments, said the LPD.

Authorities said the apartment complex where it happened serves as an emergency homeless shelter. They believe someone fired multiple rounds inside the hallway of that building and that those bullets pierced multiple units.

According to Sgt. Charles Porche, the child was caught in the line of fire.

“It’s definitely hair-raising. It’s unnerving for everyone,” said Porche. “It’s a scary situation.”

According to court documents, the infant was hit with bullet fragments, and one fragment is still in the child’s head.

The infant was taken to Mary Bridge hospital and is in stable condition.

Officers searched the building and found no other hurt people or suspects.

Neighbors were outside the apartment complex for hours before they were allowed back inside.

“My husband called me and says, ‘there’s explosions in your apartment going off, there’s explosions and the smoke detectors are going off,’” said Mary Brock, who lives in the apartment complex. “I’ve never seen so many cops in my life ever.”

Police said the attack appeared to have been targeted at one apartment where multiple rounds were fired into the door.

On Saturday, the LPD said that detectives continued serving search warrants and gathering information from witnesses, video surveillance, and other investigative avenues.

Through these efforts, a person of interest was identified. 40-year-old Ernest Hamilton was arrested and booked into the Pierce County Jail late Friday night.

The arrest stemmed from an unrelated incident for a felony offense unrelated to the shooting incident.

Through continued investigative efforts, the man was re-booked Saturday morning on charges of assault and unlawful possession of a firearm in direct relation to the shooting and injury of the infant.

Hamilton had been a neighbor of the victim’s apartment, according to police.

On Monday, Hamilton appeared before a Pierce County judge for the first time. He entered a not-guilty plea, and a judge set bail at $750,000.

Anna Chase, the infant’s mother, has set up a GoFundMe account to support her family as her son recovers.

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