Tacoma Police killer had violent criminal history

TACOMA, Wash. -- Nearly 24-hours after Tacoma Police Officer Reginald “Jake” Guitierrez was gunned down, the neighborhood where it all happened was still swarming with detectives trying to piece together exactly what happened.

Tacoma Police identified the suspect in the case, Bruce Johnson II, of Tacoma. Johnson has a criminal history; court documents detail a violent encounter in May of 2015 when he was cited for assault and unlawful display of a weapon.

It happened at a medical marijuana shop on South Union Avenue.



Court documents said when Johnson didn’t provide a prescription to buy marijuana police said he argued with employees, showed off a loaded gun and then punched one of them in the face.

The court fined Johnson $150, ordered him into an anger management class and told him to destroy his gun.

“I’m completely surprised,” said Johnson’s family’s pastor Gregory Christopher.

Christopher told Q13 News that Johnson has a large and loving family, and they are shocked to hear his actions ended the life of a veteran Tacoma Police officer.

“Seemed to be a happy-go family,” he said, “What went wrong, we don’t know.”