Community Police & Fire

One injured in shooting at Gig Harbor grocery store

A 70-year-old man was arrested late Saturday, April 30, after shooting and injuring a man he wrongly believed was stealing a cartful of groceries from a grocery store, according to Gig Harbor Police.

The victim was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma and treated for an injury that was deemed to be not life-threatening. He was released from the hospital Saturday night and provided a statement to detectives.

According to information provided by police, the 70-year-old confronted a 40-year-old man who was leaving the store with merchandise at around 11:20 p.m. For unknown reasons, the 70-year-old believed the younger man was shoplifting from the grocery store on Point Fosdick Drive.

The suspect attempted to block the exit. A physical struggle ensued before the suspect produced a 9 mm handgun.

He fired the weapon twice, according to police, hitting the victim on the side of the neck with one shot. The other shot hit glass inside the building.

The 70-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of first degree assault and booked into the Pierce County Jail.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected since it was first posted. The 70-year-old man was arrested. A previous version had the wrong age for the man arrested.