Man found slain in burned treehouse near Orting; woman shot, wounded; suspect arrested



TACOMA, Wash. -- A man was found slain inside a burned treehouse near Orting and a woman was shot and injured nearby early Monday, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department said. A suspect was arrested near the scene.

Deputies received a 911  call at 3:27 a.m. Monday from a man reporting that a woman has been shot and transported by the suspect to a home on Pioneer Way East in the Orting area, the sheriff's department said.

The woman, who had been shot in the foot, told deputies that she and a man had been shot by a male acquaintance armed with the rifle during a confrontation in a treehouse on the other side of the Carbon River.

Deputies were familiar with the treehouse, the department said, because of frequent transient activity.

Deputies and SWAT members crossed the river, where they found a wheelbarrow with a pistol inside, and the treehouse, which had been set afire.

"In the burned remains of the treehouse they located a man's body that had also been set on fire and a rifle," the department said.

About an hour later, a deputy spotted a man in hip waders and a dog walking along the river's edge. He fit the description of the suspect given by the wounded victim.

The man was booked into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, first-degree assault and arson.

"Detectives believe the shooting may have occurred during a dispute between the suspect and the male victim over missing/stolen property," the department said.

(Photo: Pierce County Sheriff's Department)