In the early evening of October 12, 2018, a tragedy unfolded in a busy shopping center parking lot in Lacey, Washington. Maryann McCarty, a 41-year-old Caucasian woman, was publicly and fatally shot by a man later identified as her 50-year-old ex-boyfriend, Michael Michelin. The attack occurred in the South Sound Center parking lot, where witnesses reported seeing the two engaged in a heated argument before Michelin produced a pistol and shot McCarty multiple times in the chest.
After shooting her, Michelin turned the gun on himself, dying at the scene. McCarty was transported to a local hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
The investigation into the murder-suicide revealed a troubled history of domestic violence. Court records showed that McCarty had sought protection orders against Michelin on two separate occasions in the months leading up to her death, citing harassment and threats. In her applications for these orders, she detailed Michelin's threatening behavior, including his ownership of a handgun and his statements that he would harm himself in front of her. A temporary protection order was granted in September, and Michelin was subsequently served with an order to surrender his weapons on October 2nd. However, he failed to comply with this court order and did not appear for a related hearing.
Michelin's history of violence was not limited to his relationship with McCarty. Court documents indicated that another woman had also sought protection orders against him in 2006 and 2007. McCarty’s family and friends described her as a wonderful and loving mother to her two daughters, ages 16 and 11 at the time of her death. Her mother expressed that her daughter would not have been with Michelin had she known the extent of his background. The tragic event prompted questions from the community and local officials about the effectiveness of the system in place to protect victims of domestic violence, particularly concerning the enforcement of weapon surrender orders. In the wake of her death, over a hundred people gathered for a candlelight vigil in the parking lot where she was killed to remember her life.
