A special education teacher was shot and killed outside Tacoma’s Birney Elementary this morning. The 30-year-old man suspected of shooting her was fatally shot by a Pierce County sheriff’s deputy after he fired at them during a traffic stop just off Canyon Road.

The 30-year-old teacher, who was identified by her family as Jennifer Paulson, died at the scene. The school is closed for the day. A counselor has been brought in for staff members at the school.

Paulson’s family made a statement at the school. Paulson was single and had no children.

Paulson’s father identified the gunman as …

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Tacoma police have released a sketch of a man suspected of sexually assaulting a developmentally-delayed man in a bathroom at the Point Defiance Boathouse last weekend.

The sketch was released late Thursday.

The 24-year-old victim had been fishing on the pier Saturday afternoon, police reported. He was approached by an older man, who enticed the victim into the bathroom and assaulted him.

After the incident, the attacker was last seen walking toward Owen Beach. The victim went to get help, and the police were called shortly after 1:30 p.m.

Witnesses described the suspect as a dark-skinned black man, 35 to …

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Friends and family are mourning a 20-year-old man who died Tuesday after a traffic accident in Federal Way.

Jessee Rodriguez was struck Feb. 17 by a blue Dodge Dakota pickup truck in the 1800 block of Southwest 356^th Street, police reported. Rodriguez and a 16-year-old friend were walking east on Southwest 356^th Street and started to run across the street to get to a nearby bus stop when the truck hit them.

Rodriguez was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center. The 16-year-old Tacoma boy sustained mild injuries in the incident. The truck driver, a 59-year-old Federal Way man, was taken to …

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Nine Tacoma businesses have been cited for selling alcohol to minors after a routine check by State Liquor Control agents.

On Feb. 19, two teams of State Liquor Control and Tacoma police officers tested 44 local establishments licensed to sell alcohol. The businesses included spirits, beer and wine restaurants, grocery stores, state and contract liquor stores, neighborhood markets, taverns, wine barns and sports/entertainment facilities.

The nine businesses cited sold alcohol to investigative aides working with liquor enforcement officers.

Officers can issue fines or temporary license suspensions depending on the severity of the offense and whether the business has been cited …

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Tacoma police are searching for a man suspected of sexually assaulting a developmentally-delayed man in a bathroom at the Point Defiance Boathouse last weekend.

The 24-year-old victim had been fishing on the pier Saturday afternoon, police reported. He was approached by an older man, who enticed the victim into the bathroom and assaulted him.

After the incident, the attacker was last seen walking toward Owen Beach. The victim went to get help, and the police were called shortly after 1:30 p.m.

Witnesses described the suspect as a dark-skinned black man, 35 to 40 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall …

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UPDATE, 10:23 a.m.: Washington State Patrol investigators believe the car that flipped into the retention pond and was found about 7 a.m. had been there for some time.

Trooper Brandy Kessler said the first trooper on the scene said the part of the car that was out of the water was dry indicating the accident had happened sometime overnight.

She said speed appeared to be a factor in the crash on the curved off-ramp from northbound Interstate 5 to westbound 38th Street. It appeared the driver missed the curve and vaulted over the embankment. The car was going fast enough …

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