2009 Lakewood shooting

2009 Lakewood shooting
The Lakewood Police Department Fallen Officer Memorial, which honors the shooting victims.
LocationParkland, Washington, U.S.
DateNovember 29, 2009; 14 years ago (2009-11-29)
8:15 a.m. (UTC-8)
TargetPolice officers
Attack type
Mass shooting, mass murder, ambush
WeaponsGlock 17 semi-automatic pistol
Deaths5 (including the perpetrator two days later)
PerpetratorMaurice Clemmons
Accused
  • Darcus Allen (accused of being an accomplice)
  • Five other individuals accused of being accomplices; all either had convictions overturned or were acquitted
VerdictAllen:
First and second trials:
Guilty on all counts
Third trial:
Hung jury
ChargesAllen:
  • Capital murder (4 counts; first and second trials)
  • First-degree murder (4 counts; third trial)
SentenceAllen:
420 years in prison (overturned)

On November 29, 2009, four police officers of Lakewood, Washington were fatally shot at the Forza (now Blue Steele[1]) coffee shop, located at 11401 Steele Street #108 South in the Parkland unincorporated area of Pierce County, Washington, near Tacoma. A gunman, later identified as Maurice Clemmons, entered the shop, shot the officers while they worked on laptops, and fled the scene with a single gunshot wound in his torso. After a massive two-day manhunt that spanned several nearby cities, an officer recognized Clemmons near a stalled car in south Seattle. When he refused orders to stop, he was shot and killed by a Seattle Police Department officer.

Five people, all friends and family of Clemmons, were convicted of crimes associated with aiding his escape and enabling him to elude capture, but most convictions were reversed on appeal, based on court findings of misconduct by the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office.

  1. ^ Champaco, Brent (2014-08-24). "Blue Steele Coffee Company Up For Best Coffeehouse In The West". Patch.com. Retrieved 2018-04-05.