In the evening hours of May 14, 2023, the life of a 28-year-old Black / African American woman, Chantelle Grayson, was tragically cut short in Tacoma, Washington. Grayson, a resident of Lynnwood, was in the vicinity of the 700 block of North Junett Street when an argument escalated to a fatal conclusion. The dispute ended with gunfire, and Grayson was struck in the head.
First responders arrived at the scene near the city's vibrant 6th Avenue business district to find her unresponsive.
Emergency services transported Grayson to a local hospital in a critical condition. Despite the efforts of medical staff, she succumbed to her injuries. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that a gunshot wound to the head was the cause of her death, officially ruling it a homicide. The Tacoma Police Department immediately launched an investigation into the city's 14th homicide of the year.
The investigation progressed, and detectives were able to identify a suspect. On May 30, 2023, Tacoma police detectives arrested a 37-year-old man in connection with Chantelle Grayson's death. The suspect was taken into custody without incident at a local business in Tacoma. He was subsequently booked into the Pierce County Jail for investigation of second-degree murder. The arrest brought a measure of progress to a case that had ended a young woman's life.
