A 29-year-old man fatally wounded last week in a double homicide in Tacoma’s South End was identified Monday by the Pierce County Medical Examiner.
Juan Tinajero Ruvalcabo died of a gunshot wound to the head on Nov. 21, according to a medical examiner’s report. Tacoma Police Department officers found the man’s body right in front of a trailer parked near the 8000 block of South Hosmer Street. The medical examiner did not provide the man’s home address, but court records show he was a Pierce County resident in 2014.
The other person who died in the shooting has not yet been identified. According to charging documents filed against the accused gunman, detectives were not immediately able to identify him, and he was listed as “John Doe” in the documents. A Tacoma police spokesman could not be reached for comment. The police previously reported that he appeared to be 35-45 years old.
Based on surveillance footage, detectives believe Ruwalkaba was the second victim of the early morning shooting. Records say he appeared to be working on his bike near the trailer moments before he was shot. Police found another victim lying on a bed with a single gunshot wound to the head.
It is unclear whether Ruwalkaba knew the man accused of shooting him or the other victim. And according to the probable cause document, it is not known whether he lived in a trailer. Homeless encampments, including tents, mobile homes and trailers, are common South Hosmer Street.
The double homicide was the 41st and 42nd homicides recorded this year Another fatal shooting on November 22 bringing the total in Tacoma to 43. Other cities and towns in Pierce County reported 30 homicides in 2022, for a total of 73 homicides in the county. At this time last year, Tacoma had 30 homicides and the county had 34.
