Have homicide rates in Tacoma continued to decline after hitting a peak in 2022?
Tacoma continued to see a decrease in homicides in 2024 after recording its highest tally in decades in 2022.
There were 22 homicides in Tacoma last year, which is down from 34 in 2023 and 45 in 2022. Tacoma averages about 18 homicides per year, according to the City of Tacoma’s website, but that number fluctuates.
“One thing we are doing differently that may correlate to the drop in homicides is the implementation of the [Violent] Crime Reduction Plan that Chief [Avery] Moore put together with the University of Texas in San Antonio,” Tacoma Police Department detective William Muse told The News Tribune.
The Violent Crime Reduction Plan launched in July 2022 with the goal of reducing crime in Tacoma such as murder, robbery and aggravated assault.
Muse said having police officers visible throughout the city as they conduct operations might correlate with other efforts to reduce violent crimes. Some of those efforts include holding people suspected of crimes accountable and giving people resources they need to make sure they do not resort to criminal activity, he said.
Across Pierce County, there were about 55 homicides in 2024, down from 58 in 2023. That also was a decline from 79 in 2022. The 2024 figures include killings in cities and towns such as Lakewood and Fife, as well as unincorporated areas. Of those 55 homicides, six have not been solved, and eight were fatal shootings by police. The police shootings are an increase from four in 2023.
The News Tribune’s analysis of Pierce County homicides last year shows that 80 percent of the killings were the result of shootings. That is a 3 percent decrease from 2023.
In all, 44 victims were killed from gunshots. Three died from blunt-force trauma, including 68-year-old William Vosler who also was stabbed. Four more people were stabbed. One person died from a pellet-gun wound. The causes of deaths for three victims are pending.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department investigated 19 homicides last year, an increase of one from 2023.
The first homicide of 2024 in Tacoma was the Jan. 9 shooting of 61-year-old Rhoda Butler. She was killed following a Tacoma SWAT standoff by police.
The year ended with four people found dead inside a South Hill home on Dec. 31, 2024 from an apparent homicide-suicide. Evidence suggests that 33-year-old Shane Vosler and his girlfriend Sue Bin Lee, 34, stabbed his parents, William and 66-year-old Eileen Vosler in the summer. About six months later, Shane Vosler and Bin Lee were found dead from gunshot wounds to the head.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department solved about 68 percent of its homicide cases last year, compared to 73 percent in 2023.
“Last year we didn’t have any homicides until that March 4 case, and we’ve already had our first homicide five days into January,” PCSD spokeswoman deputy Carly Cappetto told The News Tribune on Thursday. “It’s not a very good sign we’ve already had our first homicide in 2025.”
Cappetto said she believes newly elected Sheriff Keith Swank has ideas to help with public safety and has already started. That includes working on getting increased funding for the department so it can put more deputies on the streets.
The Tacoma Police Department had a solve rate of about 67 percent for 2024, which is same as 2023. In 2022 the department’s solve rate was 71 percent.
The Lakewood Police Department investigated four homicides, which have all been solved.
The Puyallup Police Department investigated one homicide, which was the killing of 22-year-old Gianna Stone. Three teenagers were arrested and charged in her death.
The Fife Police Department had one homicide, which was solved.
The News Tribune’s analysis also includes the fatal shooting of 45-year-old Michael Morrow on April 7. Milton police investigated the deadly shooting, and 29-year-old William Morris Rowley was charged in Morrow’s death.
The youngest person killed last year was a 2-month old Fernandez Vailoa Fruean on Dec. 18, 2024. His father, Fernandez Fruean, is accused of shaking his child in a fit of rage. He was charged with murder where a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf. He is being held at the Pierce County Jail on a $2 million bail. The infant’s cause and manner of death is pending, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The oldest victim last year was 78-year-old William Stack who was found dead in a hospice bed from a homicide-suicide on April 2. Xidong Stack, 49, died from a gunshot wound to the chest from a suicide. The men were thought to be married.
2024 Unsolved Homicides In Tacoma
Feb. 5: Anthony Haskins II, 35, was found dead with blunt-force trauma to the head on South Orchard Street.
May 22: Jason Johnson Jr, 48, died from a stab wound to the neck near South 11th and South M streets.
June 14: Kenneth Huson, 44, died from several gunshot wounds near the 400 block of South 55th Street. A man was taken into custody and released based from evidence identified during the investigation.
July 1: Mark Wolff, 66, died from a gunshot wound to the chest near South Thompson Avenue.
July 15: Sean Miller, 33, died from multiple gunshot wounds near the Emerald Queen Casino. The alleged shooter and Miller had a disagreement earlier in the day, and he followed the victim in his car, according to police.
Sept. 14: Moses Tillman, 15, was fatally shot near East N Street and East 67th Street.
Oct 2: Oliver Vaovasa, 26, died from a gunshot wound to the chest near South Steele Street. Tacoma officers were dispatched to the area following reports of gunfire.
