Suspect charged after man and his dog killed inside Tacoma tent
Suspect accused of shooting, killing a man and his dog appears in court
A man and his dog were shot inside a tent in a Tacoma homeless encampment on Tuesday.
TACOMA, Wash. - Police are investigating a homicide in South Tacoma, after a man and his dog were shot and killed inside their tent on Tuesday.
According to the Tacoma Police Department (TPD), at 11:23 a.m., officers were dispatched to the corner of S 74th St. and Tacoma Mall Blvd. for reports of a shooting.
When officers arrived, they found both the victim and his dog with gunshot wounds. They tried to save the 26-year-old man’s life, but he died on scene.
Tacoma Animal Control took the injured dog to a nearby veterinary hospital for treatment, but the dog later died.
Tacoma Police Department
36-year-old Brandon Archuleta was arrested a few hours later in connection to the shooting. Officers found him in an RV nearby. He denied killing anyone when he was arrested.
Archuleta was booked into the Pierce County Jail for first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and first-degree animal cruelty.
According to court documents, he has multiple prior felony convictions and is prohibited from owning or possessing a gun.
FOX 13 News spoke to Bree Simpson. She says the man killed is named Jeff, she didn't want to give his last name. Simpson says they were dating and says she was there when he and her dog were shot.
"Somebody just came along, and he killed my dog, and my boyfriend tried to stand up for my dog, and he just shot him in the chest," she said.
Simpson says she didn't know the shooter. She says he fired two shots, then walked away. She says her boyfriend died in her arms.
"My whole world has been ripped away from me in a matter of minutes for a senseless act," said Simpson.
Simpsons says she knows she and her boyfriend had fallen on hard times. She says they did not want to live in an encampment. She says they were trying to get back on their feet.
"Better days were coming, and now he’s not going to get to see those better days. He was young. He was only 26-years-old. Now, I have to break the news to his mom, who's going to have a broken heart that her youngest son was senselessly murdered," said Simpson.