In the quiet neighborhood of north Everett, Washington, the evening of January 31, 2020, was shattered by violence that ended the life of 39-year-old Gerald M. Lance. A male resident of Everett himself, Lance was fatally shot during a confrontation outside a home in the 1800 block of Chestnut Street. The incident unfolded around 8:30 p.m. when a homeowner returned to his residence and encountered Lance in his front yard.
An altercation ensued between the two men.
According to police, the homeowner instructed his wife to call 911 before he opened fire. Lance sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office would later confirm this as the cause of his death, ruling the manner of death as a homicide. While the term homicide indicates that a death was caused by another person, it does not inherently signify that a crime was committed.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the homeowner who fired the shots was not arrested. Everett police detectives began an investigation to determine the circumstances that led to the fatal encounter, including whether Lance and the homeowner had any prior personal history. As of the latest available reports, no arrests have been made in connection with Gerald Lance's death, and the homeowner remains the only publicly identified individual involved in the incident. The investigation into the shooting was ongoing to understand the full context of the altercation. His obituary noted the profound loss felt by his daughters, grandchildren, parents, and other loved ones.
