The shootings occurred at the Olympic Plaza shopping center in Gig Harbor, a maritime suburb across the Tacoma Narrows, a day after abuse accusations in the couple's divorce case appeared in local papers. It was personal: a human-resources nuke, a road map of wrong turns and bad decisions. Hospital officials would not comment on her condition. Benson's agent, Jerry Hogan, says everyone who knew the young actress is struggling to understand how this happened. They were just running for safety, said Kirsten Oakland, 36, and a hair stylist at Harbor Cutter, a shop that looks out onto the parking lot. The chief and his wife arrived in the parking lot in separate cars, with the couple's children riding with their mother. All of us together didnt see any warning signs. One witness, Dana Mossman, told the The News Tribune of Tacoma, ''I heard them say: 'Daddy shot Mommy. Crystal Brame accused her husband of pointing his gun at her, trying to choke her and saying he "could snap my neck if he wanted to.". It led state Attorney General Chris Gregoire to describe the department under Brame as culturally corrupt.. Sheriff's spokesman Troyer said the dispatcher did not send an officer to the residence because Crystal Brame had called hours after the chief and his assistant had left, and she had no proof that Woodard or Chief Brame had threatened or intimidated her. Pierce County Sheriffs spokesman Ed Troyer said it did not appear that anyone else was involved. It touched off multiple investigations and shed light on officer-involved domestic violence. The wife of Tacoma Police Chief David Brame was in critical condition with a gunshot wound. The children are now in the care of Ms. Brame's mother. The scene that followed was chaos. What do you do when this particular boss falls apart? "They had no idea. Crystal Brame accused her husband of pointing his gun at her, trying to choke her in November and saying he "could snap my neck if he wanted to.". Brame rose through the ranks . Across the country, eerily similar shootings have recently occurred. I didnt work Saturday because I was the regular Sunday reporter at the time, and editors needed to save one fresh staffer after the first-day flurry of breaking news. Brame took office, unveiled grand plans and gathered accolades. The chief and his wife arrived in the parking lot separate cars, with the couples children in Crystal Brames vehicle. I have a really big birthday gift for you, he said. Then he shot himself. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. GIG HARBOR, Wash. Tacoma Police Chief David Brame shot his estranged wife then killed himself Saturday, a day after the woman's allegations of abuse were publicized in media reports.. He earned a bachelor degree in public administration from the University of Puget Sound. class kills 16-year-old, Washington school says, How Sound Transit loses people even in liberal cities like Tacoma | Opinion, Why didnt the picks-loaded Seahawks draft a quarterback? The Brame scandal ended two lives and orphaned two children. Lt. Bob Sheehan, a longtime ally of Brames, picked up the chief at the airport. Capstone Green Energy is providing a second microturbine energy system to a large West Texas oil Four new members joined the Petroleum Hall of Fame at an induction dinner honoring the Class of 2023. A witness, Gary Pullin, 41, of Gig Harbor, was waiting in his car for his wife, Mary, to get off work at a business in the shopping center. Tacoma Police Chief David Brame died yesterday after he shot his 35-year-old estranged wife and himself in a strip-mall parking lot in Gig Harbor, Pierce County. The allegations against Brame were not sustained, in police jargon. Honestly, I dont remember how I found the woman, but I did, and wrote a story, under the watchful eye of TNT Executive Editor David Zeeck. Old rumors of his behavior included an allegation of sexual assault, deemed unproven after an internal investigation led to a he-said, she-said impasse. Brame rose through the ranks to become police chief in Tacoma, a city of 194,000, in January 2002. TACOMA A woman who witnessed Wednesday's shooting of Tacoma police Officer Reginald "Jake" Gutierrez said he sacrificed himself to save his partner and the wife of the man who opened fire. He recalled how Chief Brame was ''beaming'' when his wife pinned a star to his chest at his installation ceremony in January 2002 as one of this city's youngest chiefs of police. The simple reality sounds old-fashioned 20 years later, but its the truth: We didnt know the background. The couple had been going through a divorce. ''More than anything, their welfare is on my mind.''. TACOMA, Wash. Don Ramsdell was a steadying figure in the Tacoma Police Department. Police Say Tacoma Chief Shoots Wife, Self. Brame was pronounced dead at 5:52 p.m. at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, Troyer said. Currently Reading. "If you wanted a mom, Crystal would be the perfect one," said Brad Chatfield, a state Senate employee from Olympia who is a lifelong friend. In 2002, the Beltway Sniper murders on the East Coast transfixed the nation. ``The probability is strong that the chief shot his wife and then himself, Pierce County Sheriffs spokesman Ed Troyer said. The shooting took place around 3:10 p.m. in the parking lot of a shopping center in this town northwest of Tacoma, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said. The passage of time boggles my mind. At one point, the chief put the children in his car, then went back to his wife's car, where the pair engaged in a heated conversation, authorities believe. Tacoma Police Chief Shoots Wife, Self TIM KLASS April 26, 2003 Comments The wife of Tacoma Police Chief David Brame was in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head after being. He was among officials who announced that a witness came forward with evidence that could tie two shootings in Tacoma to sniper suspects John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo. April 26, 2003, the day of the shootings, was a Saturday. Always, he claimed to be an abused man, painting Crystal as an unstable spouse bent on destroying his career. It also was a sign of respect, perhaps even fear. A look at the DV center that bears Judsons name. It always feels strange to say that, since I wrote so much about him and know so much about him. Medics found Crystal Brame lying on the pavement next to the open driver's door. It was all day, every day. The children were in the care of their mothers parents Saturday night, Troyer said. The QB they wanted at 5 was gone, Man fatally shot on Puyallup tribal trust land identified by the medical examiner, Wrong-way driver kills Auburn man in head-on crash early Sunday, State Patrol says, Neighborhood Clinic serves Tacomas neediest. ``This is somebody everybody knew and respected., ``He was exactly what you want, Troyer added, ``rose up through the ranks, worked very hard and made chief.. Tacoma Police Chief Shoots Wife Before Killing Himself, Authorities Say April 28, 2003 The wife of the Tacoma police chief was in critical condition today, a day after her husband shot. We learned that Brame had season tickets to The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, which always intrigued me why was Tacomas top cop so into musicals? But Teichroeb pointed out that a top law enforcement official was being accused of committing a crime. About 3:10 p.m. yesterday, Brame pulled into the mall parking lot to meet his wife, who had arrived in her car with the couple's 8-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said. The chief and his wife arrived in the parking lot separate cars, with the couples children in Crystal Brames vehicle. The two had been going through a divorce. Frantz said Brame was "a dynamite chief" who was implementing new policies and making good connections with the community. We worked until midnight. Was that enough? He brought three subordinates to one of his divorce hearings. One witness said she saw people in the parking lot running around and screaming after the shootings. Editors were trying to be careful about an explosive story involving the personal lives of two people. At ILEETA 2023, a seminar sessiondubbed "Street Leadership - Never Again Uvalde, Texas! "They were terrified.". For me, it started the day after Brame fatally shot his wife, Crystal Judson, then himself, in a Gig Harbor parking lot as the couple's two young children watched in horror. One person died after a reported Saturday evening shooting in Tacoma, according to the Tacoma Police Department. His wife, Crystal, was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head. On the way home, Brame returned to his favorite subject: his divorce. A public man brought his private life to work and snarled his subordinates in the awkward details of his failed marriage. Im not interested in investigating any civil proceedings that he is going though at this time, Corpuz said that day. Troyer would not say whether it was the chief's service weapon or precisely where the gun was found. His reporting work includes award-winning coverage related to criminal justice, government accountability and public disclosure. On Friday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that documents in the couples divorce case recounted a stormy, sometimes violent relationship. Our newsroom staff fanned out across Tacoma and Gig Harbor, reporting the biggest story most of us had ever covered. He was a player. Crystal Brame, 35, filed for divorce from Chief Brame in February, alleging years of emotional and physical abuse. His three assistant chiefs picked up the slack (baby-sitting was the internal description). Many other people were screaming and running from the parking lot. The portrait was a. Why Bicycles are Great for Police and First Responders. Most people in law enforcement in Tacoma knew Mr. Brame. At one point, the chief put the children in his car, then went back to his wifes car, where the pair engaged in a heated conversation, authorities believe. My crime team colleagues and I, led by editor Randy McCarthy, had covered the 2001 arrest of Gary Ridgway, the Green River killer. Over and over, in thousands of pages of investigative records and court testimony, the theme resurfaced. Troyer said Brame was highly respected. The children were in the care of their mothers parents Saturday night, Troyer said. "And that's why this is so shocking.". More than 1 in 4 WA foster kids lost touch with school during spring distance learning, Gruesome freak accident in P.E. It's unsurprising then that during ILEETA 2023, the topic was discussed at length. He also saw a bystander pick up the handgun and then make a call on his cellphone. Ruth Teichroeb, an investigative reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, broke the story about the abuse charges against the police chief. At work, he never stopped talking of home. For the record, thats false. He accused his wife of having a ``ferocious temper and being emotionally unstable. Crystal Brame claimed that her husband pointed his gun at her and tried to choke her, saying he could snap her neck if he wanted to, court papers said. ''He rose through the ranks, always finishing at the top,'' Mr. Baarsma said. A group of officers learned of the incident and anonymously sent a note to Corpuz, seeking an investigation and underlining a perceived double standard: one set of rules for the boss, another for everyone else. The two were in critical condition at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, a nursing supervisor said. Police Say Tacoma Chief Shoots Wife, Self TIM KLASS April 26, 2003 GIG HARBOR, Wash. (AP) _ Tacoma Police Chief David Brame was killed and his wife was injured in an apparent murder-suicide attempt Saturday, a day after abuse allegations in the couple's divorce case were publicized in media reports. I interviewed a Tacoma police officer who said Brame tried to lure her into a threesome with Crystal. Corpuz told The News Tribune he would not investigate the chief. What do you do when the boss falls apart? Brame was pronounced dead at 5:52 p.m. at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, Pierce County Sheriffs spokesman Ed Troyer said. Tacoma's city manager, Ray Corpuz, issued a statement today expressing shock at the shootings, which were witnessed by the couple's children, Haley, 8, and David Jr., 5. Staff Writer. He then stopped his car. That's when she met David Brame, a rising star in the department who had been divorced from his first wife since 1987. One witness said she saw people in the parking lot running around and screaming after the shootings. The wife of Tacoma Police Chief David Brame was in critical condition with a gunshot wound. Tacoma Police Department @TacomaPD. Active Shooter Response Needs Digital Age Collaboration, SPECIAL REPORT: Traffic Safety and Enforcement, How to Support Officer Wellness from Hire to Retire, Columbia Southern University Introduces 27 New Academic Programs to Catalog. They were just running for safety," said Kirsten Oakland, 36, and a hair stylist at Harbor Cutter, a shop that looks out onto the parking lot. Another woman in the parking lot scooped up the children _ an 8-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy _ and took them into a video store in the strip mall. But Brame said he had been victimized in the relationship. May 1, 2003. That night, Brame called her from Las Vegas, where he was attending a labor-management seminar. He and his wife, 35-year-old Crystal Brame, had been going through a divorce. In court papers, Brame said his wife scratched, bruised and pushed him during two fights in September 1996. Tacoma, Wash., Police Chief David Brame, 44, shot his wife in the head in a mall parking lot before fatally shooting himself. He also had served as commander of the criminal investigations division and headed up the department's internal-affairs division. They were just running for safety," said Kirsten Oakland, 36, and a hair stylist at Harbor Cutter, a shop that looks out onto the parking lot. The Brame story dominated our coverage for two years and lingered after that. Online college and university programs can help you advance your law enforcement career, but higher education success requires planning and commitment. Department wolves called it The Coronation.. "I heard one of the children say, 'Daddy shot Mommy,' words to that effect," said Dana Mossman. Crystal Brame has been upgraded to serious condition, but still remains comatose and on life support. He was a Tacoma native and a graduate of Lincoln High School in the city's working class East Side neighborhood. The two had dated, The Washington Post reported, citing police sources. Police Chief Injures Wife, Kills Self. At the time of the shootings, the Brames were three months into a bitter divorce, with each making claims and counterclaims against the other. class kills 16-year-old, Washington school says, How Sound Transit loses people even in liberal cities like Tacoma | Opinion, Why didnt the picks-loaded Seahawks draft a quarterback? Then David Brame shot his wife and then shot and killed himself. Our students are going to need continued support, says a director at Treehouse, a nonprofit that advocates for foster children and youth. International Police Mountain Bike Association President David Millican shares his advice and provides 10 tips for any agency wanting to start a bike patrol. But Brame said he had been victimized in the relationship. "What makes this situation particularly difficult to understand is that Chief Brame recognized and was concerned about how emotional stress can affect police officers," Corpuz said. A woman who witnessed Wednesday's shooting of Tacoma police Officer Reginald "Jake" Gutierrez said he sacrificed himself to save his partner and the wife of the man who opened fire. The Associated Press GIG HARBOR Tacoma Police Chief David Brame apparently shot his estranged wife then killed himself today, a day after her allegations of abuse were publicized in media. She turned 35. Corpuz told him to focus on work. I didnt know the womans name. A witness said she saw people in the parking lot running around and screaming after the shootings. Human resources leaders said they recommended placing Brame on administrative leave, taking his badge and gun. Two weeks before the shootings, Crystal complained of intimidation and death threats by her husband. One is missing: David Brame, who left a permanent scar that wounded the department and the city. At one point, the chief put the children in his car, then went back to his wifes car, shot her and turned the gun on himself, authorities believe. The chief had been dealing with a departmental audit, said Mayor Bill Baarsma of Tacoma, but he didnt see evidence of any deeper problems. "There are no words to describe the horror of the people left behind," Hogan said. Eventually, we got their answers. "I blame the news media for driving this over the edge above and beyond what you needed to in a tabloid fashion," said Patrick Frantz, president of Tacoma's police union. Brame said he reported the fights to his boss at the time, interim Chief Ken Monner; to another Tacoma officer who photographed his bruises, and to police in Gig Harbor, where he was living at the time. Updated April 30, 2023 1:51 AM. "I'm not saying he's not responsible. Officers recovered a Glock .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun from the crime scene. The shootings occurred a day after abuse accusations in the couples divorce case appeared in local newspapers. The QB they wanted at 5 was gone, Man fatally shot on Puyallup tribal trust land identified by the medical examiner, Wrong-way driver kills Auburn man in head-on crash early Sunday, State Patrol says, Food insecurity on rise in Pierce County. ", Brame's allegations "are categorically not true," Chatfield said. At one point, his wife is said to have tried to crawl out of the car. I watched her move her hand up to her head," Pullin said. I'm very disappointed in what he's done," he said. Through her attorney, Crystal declined to comment. Crystal Brame did not have a protective order against her husband, according to police and court records. Their children, ages 8 and 5, were sitting in a nearby car. Brame rose through the ranks to become police chief in Tacoma, a city of 194,000, in January 2002. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. The paper has since taken heat from the Tacoma police union, the city manager and a city council member, each of whom say that the charges made in the suit should not have been published. The Gig Harbor Police Department is working with the Pierce County Sheriffs Office on the case. No other information about the children was released. Catherine Woodard, assistant chief for criminal investigations, was named acting chief. A cloud-based collaboration portal equipped with assistive AI can clear the air and help coordinate response when every second can save lives. They couldnt go over his head there was no other head but Corpuz, who hired Brame. The day before the shootings, allegations that he had abused his wife were made public. With his young children nearby, Tacoma Police Chief David Brame shot his wife on Saturday, and then shot himself. Daddy hurt Mommy.' ``They had no idea. David Brame, who was named Tacoma's police chief in late 2001, was described as a trusted insider committed to Tacoma, someone who could build bridges between the department and the community. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He accused his wife of having a "ferocious temper" and being emotionally unstable. He sank while everyone around him watched. I interviewed the woman who said Brame had raped her. The stories went on and on. After a heated conversation, witnesses reported hearing two shots. "She gave up everything for her children and for David," Chatfield said. A female & 3 children inside the house were uninjured. It was about a boss who killed his wife and himself. To multiple subordinates, he confessed a seamy scheme to lure his wife into a sexual threesome with a female officer. Inevitably, foolish narratives slithered in. ``The probability is strong that the chief shot his wife and then himself, Pierce County Sheriffs spokesman Ed Troyer said. Tacoma Police Chief David Brame kept a picture in his office, a framed portrait of a young executive: Al Pacino as cold-eyed Michael Corleone, the freshly anointed Godfather. Above all, he was local: a second-generation police commander, a sports star straight out of Lincoln High School. She alleged that Brame and Woodard gained access to the secure neighborhood "under false pretenses." I was there. His 35 yr old wife was outside w/ non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. "She's one of the most thoughtful people I've ever met. Reportedly, Brame spoke to the city manager frequently about his divorce. At work, Brame talked of his crumbling marriage to anyone who would listen, from assistant chiefs and captains to his administrative assistant. His wife had climbed out of the car before collapsing on the pavement. The children ran toward their mother's car after hearing the shots, he said. Sean Robinson, Night/Sports Editor, spent 20 years as an investigative reporter at The News Tribune before moving to an editing role. For me, it started the day after Brame fatally shot his wife, Crystal Judson, then himself, in a Gig Harbor parking lot as the couples two young children watched in horror. City Manager Ray Corpuz said Brame also went to an FBI seminar in January on emotional survival training for law enforcement officers. My colleague Martha Modeen and I interviewed numerous cops who had been isolated or banished by the chief, who was known for rewarding friends and punishing enemies. "renowned law enforcement trainers taught how simple leadership at the street level can avert such failed response in future events. Seattle Times staff reporters TACOMA On the day Police Chief David Brame was buried, and his estranged wife was declared dead, city officials were mired in a controversy over whether they. His wife, in her court filings, said David Brame refused to let her use their credit card without permission, checked her cars odometer to monitor trips to the grocery store and left his loaded service revolver on a bedroom shelf within reach of their two children. Paramedics found Crystal Brame lying on the pavement beside her car, with the drivers side door ajar. I cant stop myself from thinking about their piping voices, explaining what they saw in that parking lot. For example, Crystal Brame alleged that she was "very afraid" of her husband because he was controlling and threatening pointing a gun at her, keeping the couple's checkbook from her, insisting on going with her to routine doctor exams and checking her car odometer to make sure she had not strayed from permitted errands. Brame rose through the ranks to become police chief in Tacoma, a city of 194,000, in January 2002. Their children, ages 8 and 5, were sitting in a nearby car. A witness said she saw people in the parking lot running around and screaming after the shootings. Tacoma Police Chief David Brame was killed and his wife was critically injured in an apparent murder-suicide attempt Saturday, a day after abuse allegations in the couple's divorce case were publicized in media reports. The Brames' children ran toward their mother's car after hearing the shots, Troyer said. Six months into the job as chief, he was in the national spotlight when the East Coast sniper killings were linked to Tacoma. We didnt use the word then, but records revealed that Brame was gaslighting Crystal, physically and emotionally abusing her while claiming to be the victim of her abuse and looping his subordinates into the idea. Critically Wounded Louisville Officer Honored with Banner. The couple's two young children were in the parking lot at the time of shooting, but it wasn't immediately known if they witnessed the violence. They were just running for safety, said Kirsten Oakland, 36, and a hair stylist at Harbor Cutter, a shop that looks out onto the parking lot. We learned the bloody trail left by John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo stretched all the way back to Tacoma and the murder of 21-year-old Keenya Cook. GIG HARBOR Tacoma Police Chief David Brame apparently shot his estranged wife then killed himself today, a day after her allegations of abuse were publicized in media reports. She is the first woman to head the police force in Tacoma, a city of 194,000. Time has passed, but memories are merciless. His wife, Crystal, was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition. In court papers, Brame said his wife scratched, bruised and pushed him during two fights in September 1996. The stress of being a police chief and the publicity of his marital troubles must have come to a head, Frantz surmised. One person died after a reported Saturday evening shooting in Tacoma, according to the Tacoma Police Department.
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tacoma police chief shoots wife