Police lights flashing at night. (iStock)

By The Associated Press

Posted February 24, 2026 1:14 pm.

Last Updated February 24, 2026 3:31 pm.

A suspect and four other people were dead Tuesday after a sheriff’s deputy responded to reports that a man was stabbing people outside a home near Tacoma, Washington.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said deputies initially responded to reports made at around 8:40 a.m. Tuesday that a 32-year-old man was violating a no-contact order.

They obtained a copy of the order, learned it was not valid because it had not been served on the suspect and headed to the scene to provide it to him.

While en route, additional reports came in that the man was stabbing people, the sheriff’s office said.

The first deputy arrived within about three minutes and shots were fired. The suspect and three other people were dead at the scene, while another died while being taken to a hospital.

The stabbings occurred on the Key Peninsula, west of Tacoma.