Spanaway Man Hires, Then Kills Plumber: Deputies

SPANAWAY, WA — The Pierce County Sheriff's Department is investigating a deadly shooting in Spanaway in which, deputies say, a homeowner hired a plumber for some repairs, but shot and killed him instead.

The shooting happened shortly after 8 p.m. Monday at a home in the 1000 block of Military Rd E.

Investigators say they received a call just before 8:30 p.m. from a witness who had heard the shooting, and spotted a corpse in a truck in front of the home.

Following an investigation, deputies say they've pieced together roughly what lead up to the fatal shooting, and that it started with the homeowner/suspect calling for a plumber. Problems began almost as soon as the plumber pulled up, with the homeowner accusing him of hitting his gate. The homeowner then shot the plumber, who was still sitting in the driver's seat of his truck.

The plumber, a 40-year-old man, died inside the vehicle.

The suspect then allegedly took all his guns to a neighbor's house, asking them to hold on to them for him. In total, six guns were recovered from the residence, and deputies later learned the suspect was not legally allowed to own firearms.

The suspect had dropped off the guns and returned to the scene of the crime by the time deputies arrived at his home. As they pulled up, the officers say they saw the suspect inside the plumber's pickup. He quickly retreated inside the house, but surrendered to law enforcement shortly afterwards.

The homeowner, identified by officers only as a 55-year-old man, was then arrested and booked into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first degree murder, tampering with evidence, and unlawful possession of a firearm.