From staff reports
Tumwater police say a 44-year-old McCleary man is dead after he opened fire in a Walmart Sunday afternoon and was shot by a gun-carrying private citizen who followed him outside. The dead man, identified as Tim Day, was shot in the parking lot after he had opened fire again, shooting a man while attempting to steal a car.
The man Day shot was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition. At a separate carjacking earlier, a 16-year-old boy was injured, but not seriously, police said. It was not clear whether the boy had been shot. Police earlier reported that it was a girl who had been injured, but later corrected that.
McCleary police say Day was known to them, but they would not comment further because of the ongoing investigation. The Seattle Times reported that Day has a criminal history, including violations of a domestic-violence protection order, felony assault and making death threats.
The bizarre series of events started in Olympia at about 4:40 p.m. when Day approached a family and attempted to take their car, but was not successful. He then drove the wrong way on Highway 101, and exited into Tumwater and drove erratically on Tumwater streets, crashing the vehicle at the intersection of Tyee Drive and Israel Road SW. Police say he then left his car and attempted to car jack at least two other vehicles, fired shots at the vehicles, and demanded owners abandon their cars. Day was successful in carjacking a third vehicle that he drove to WalMart on Littlerock Road.
Police say Day entered the store and went to the sporting goods section, where he fired at a locked ammunition display case, took some ammunition, and left the store.
Two shoppers in the store were legally carrying firearms and heard the shots. They saw him with a gun, and followed him to the parking lot, police say. Day again tried to car jack a vehicle in the parking lot, and shot the driver when he did not comply. Day then approached a second car and driver. When the driver backed away, one of the armed citizens shot Day, who died at the scene.
The armed citizen is a 47-year old man from Oakville. After the shooting, the man immediately retrieved his first aid kit from his car and helped the victim of the attempted carjacking until the Tumwater Fire Department and Medic 5 arrived on the scene. The victim was later airlifted to Harborview Medical Center, in critical condition.
Brian Adams told the Seattle Times that he had been shopping and took cover behind vehicles in the Walmart parking lot. Adams said he wound up being near where the suspect was eventually shot.
Adams called the bystander who fired on the suspect a hero.
“This guy could have taken out more people, wounded or killed,” said Adams.
A police official said that during the attempted carjackings, the man apparently fired into other vehicles as well. Witnesses recounted hearing numerous gunshots.
Darren Gossler of Elma told the Tacoma News Tribune that he was in the store when the shooting started. He tweeted: “I was in the dairy section. Heard about 5 or 6 pops. Ran out a side emergency exit and attempted to run to my car in the parking lot but heard 4 more pops in the lot. Caught a quick glimpse of a male with what appeared to be a handgun. Ducked under some cars and ran to Costco.”
