4 People Stabbed to Death Outside Home, Suspect Fatally Shot By Police

Police were en route to enforce a protection order around the time of the incident

Authorities investigate the scene after reports that a man fatally stabbed multiple people

man fatally stabbed multiple people Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Gig Harbor, Wash.Credit : 

AP Photo/John Froschauer

Five people are dead after a fatal stabbing incident outside a home in Washington.

On Tuesday, Feb. 24, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that multiple people were stabbed by a male outside a home near Gig Harbor, Wash. Shots were reported after a deputy arrived. The 32-year-old suspect and three individuals were found deceased. A fourth victim was transported by an ambulance but succumbed to their injuries.

The names of the deceased have not yet been released.

“Five lives were lost today on the Key Peninsula in an act of heartbreaking violence, including the suspect, who was shot by a responding deputy,” Pierce County Executive Ryan N. Mello said in a statement.

“My heart is with the families who are facing unimaginable loss, and with every neighbor shaken by this tragedy,” he added, thanking the Gig Harbor Police Department and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance.

The incident unfolded at approximately 8:41 a.m. local time when a call came in to authorities to report a no-contact order in violation, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said.

Before deputies arrived at the scene, they confirmed the no-contact order was invalid because the individual had not yet been served.

“Deputies received a copy of the order to serve on the male suspect, and while en route, multiple witnesses reported at 9:30am that a male was stabbing people outside the home. A solo deputy arrived, and shots were reported at 9:33am,” the sheriff’s office said.

In a video shared to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook account, Deputy Cappetto said her team, along with members of the Key Peninsula Fire Department were present for the “very active and tragic scene” where there were five deceased people.

“It was a protection order, so somebody involved in this was known,” Officer Shelbie Boyd, public information officer for the Pierce County Force Investigation Team (PCFIT), told KOMO News. “Relation to the stabbing victims, we’re uncertain what the relationships were of each of them.”

KOMO also reported that the no-contact order was allegedly issued to protect a mother whose son had “been abusing and threatening her,” citing court documents linked to the address.