Woman shot dead in Spanaway heading to work

Deputies are searching for the gunman who shot and killed a woman as she drove to work in Spanaway.

Just after 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department responded to a head-on crash on 17400 Spanaway Loop Road South.

A 47-year-old woman was found with a gunshot wound.

“It was a bunch of red and blue. It looked like a lot of confusion or people talking, trying to figure out what exactly was going on in what direction,” said nearby resident Ginna Leon-Martinez.

Leon-Martinez watched the scene unfold from her balcony. She originally thought it was just a car accident, until the scene kept growing.

“I seen the dogs and then the drone and I was like okay so now I kinda feel unsafe. Do I need to lock my doors because I’m home alone,” she explained.

Investigators say the victim’s car veered into the middle of the road and collided into another vehicle traveling the opposite direction at a slow speed.

The driver of the other car was not injured.

Sergeant Darren Moss said they believe the suspect was on foot and fired a shot from the woods nearby. Investigators believe this shooting was likely random.

“It’s only one lane going northbound and the passenger window was shot out.  This probably wasn’t going to be a road rage because no one could drive up alongside her,” Moss said.

A SWAT team and K-9s searched for the suspect in the woods surrounding Spanaway Loop Road South.

“The way they were combing the ground, looking and the presence of the SWAT team. Them yelling out their microphone ‘hey, you need to come out of the woods, put your hands up’-type of situation. Was like wow, this is really intense,” said Leon-Martinez.

Anyone with information or video from this incident, please contact the Sheriff’s Department or you can make an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

“We have deputies that live out here, I grew up in this area. I don’t want to see anybody getting hurt. Definitely when it’s random like this it’s very harmful to the community, doesn’t make anybody feel safe,” Sgt. Moss added.