Guns killed 3 Tacoma teens in a week. The community must ‘dig in,’ school board president says

At least seven teenagers in Tacoma and elsewhere in Pierce County have died from gun violence this year. Three of those teens were killed in a week.

At least seven teenagers in Tacoma and elsewhere in Pierce County have died from gun violence this year. Three of those teens were killed over the last month.

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Now, Tacoma School Board President Korey Strozier is calling on the community to "dig in" to stop gun violence.

He's raising the alarm after a 15-year-old and a 19-year-old were killed in late March while at a house party. The Tacoma News Tribune reports they were shot by a 17-year-old, who was seen in video footage talking to the victims before taking out a gun and shooting. The alleged shooter was also shot when one of the victims pulled out another gun and fired back.

Another 17-year-old Tacoma student was shot and killed on April 24 in Spanaway. Residents told police they heard about 20 to 30 shots ringing out. The victim was found in the middle of a cul-de-sac that was reportedly littered with gun shells. A shooter has not been identified.

It's not the first time the district has been left grieving multiple gun-related deaths.

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According to the Washington State School Directors’ Association, 10 Tacoma Public Schools students were affected by gun violence by the end of the spring 2023 semester.

"We knew we had to figure something out," Strozier said in an interview with KUOW’s Angela King.

Tacoma Public Schools and partner organizations started Summer Late Nights, a program that opens up about a dozen safe spaces in Tacoma for students in middle and high school while school was out. After the first summer, youth gun violence went down in Tacoma, Strozier said. The program was offered again in 2024, and no kids died by gun violence that summer, Strozier said; an accounting of teen deaths related to gun violence in the Tacoma News Tribune seems to confirm that.

Unfortunately, there has been an uptick during this school year, Strozier said — and that's before school lets out for summer break.

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"It's not my responsibility as the board president to stop violence, but it might be my responsibility as a community member to dig in," Strozier said.

He also called for caregivers to be "nosey" and ask additional questions, check phone records, and check the group chats.

"It's not because I want to be a helicopter parent. It's not because I don't trust you," Strozier said. "The reason I'm being nosey is because I want you safe and I want you to come home. Leaving the house and returning home is an underrated blessing. We take it for granted. Everyday, I want to see my babies come home."