Campus Alert Archive
TCC

A Fatal Shooting on South Mildred Street Locks Down Tacoma Community College for Two Hours

WApolice activityemergency notificationmedium confidence
Under Investigation

On the afternoon of Wednesday, March 29, 2023, Tacoma Community College was placed on lockdown as a precaution after Tacoma police responded at 1:13 p.m. PDT to a report of a person shot in the 1400 block of South Mildred Street, near the campus. A 16-year-old was declared dead at the scene and the case is being investigated as a homicide. The campus went into lockdown around 1:30 p.m. and lifted it shortly after 3 p.m. PDT.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Tacoma Community College
Community College · WA
~12,000 studentsTCC Ready Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction182 chars
TCC ALERT: LOCKDOWN. Police are investigating a shooting near campus. Stay inside, lock doors and stay away from windows. Avoid the area. Do not leave until you receive an all-clear.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

TCC's casualties object is zero/zero because the fatal shooting occurred off campus on South Mildred Street; the lockdown was a precaution while police searched the area.
Reconstructed wording; KING 5 reported the lockdown and the 'stay away from windows / avoid the area' guidance but did not publish the exact TCC Ready text.
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction181 chars
TCC ALERT: ALL CLEAR. The lockdown has been lifted. There is no threat to campus. The police investigation of the nearby shooting continues off campus. Normal activities may resume.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The all-clear came after roughly two hours, once police determined there was no threat to the campus itself even though the off-campus homicide investigation continued.
Reconstructed wording; the ~3 p.m. lift and 'no threat to campus' framing come from KING 5 and the college spokesperson's statement.
Context

Background

Tacoma Community College sits on the west side of Tacoma, Washington, near South Mildred Street. On March 29, 2023, KING 5 reported that Tacoma police responded at 1:13 p.m. PDT to a report of a person shot in the 1400 block of South Mildred Street, and the college locked down around 1:30 p.m. as a precaution. A college spokesperson, Tamyra Howser, said there was no immediate threat to those on campus and that no one armed was reported on campus grounds. KIRO 7 reported a 16-year-old was declared dead at the scene and the shooting was being investigated as a homicide. The lockdown was lifted shortly after 3 p.m. PDT. TCC's TCC Ready emergency program governs the lockdown and shelter-in-place procedures used here. This case documents the precautionary campus lockdown; the fatal shooting itself occurred off campus.
Analysis

Key Findings

An off-campus fatal shooting drove a two-hour precautionary lockdown at TCC, with the college's own casualty count at zero
The college emphasized there was no armed person on campus, distinguishing a precautionary lockdown from an on-campus active threat
The roughly 17-minute gap between the 1:13 p.m. police response and the ~1:30 p.m. lockdown reflects the time to confirm proximity and decide to lock down
Outcome
A 16-year-old male was killed in the off-campus shooting, which police investigated as a homicide. A college spokesperson said there was no immediate threat to people on campus; the lockdown was precautionary and lifted after about two hours.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Teen killed near Tacoma Community College, lockdown lifted - KING 5
    king5.com
  2. News
    Tacoma police investigating after 16-year-old killed in shooting at apartment complex - KIRO 7
    kiro7.com
  3. Official
    TCC Ready - Tacoma Community College
    tacomacc.edu
Tags
police-activitylockdownoff-campus-shootingwashingtoncommunity-collegetacomaprecautionaryUnder Investigation
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion