In the early evening of February 11, 2017, the life of 33-year-old James Roberts came to a tragic end in Spanaway, Washington. The incident occurred around 6:15 p.m. near a transient camp located in the 13100 block of A Street South. Roberts, who was experiencing homelessness at the time, was handling a firearm when the fatal event transpired.
Initially, investigators from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department treated the case as a potential homicide.
This was due to the discovery of ammunition near Roberts' body, yet the gun itself was conspicuously absent from the scene. The circumstances were perplexing and suggested the possibility of foul play, leaving authorities to piece together the moments leading up to the shooting without the key piece of evidence.
As the investigation progressed, however, a different story emerged. Witnesses eventually came forward and revealed a crucial detail: the firearm had been hidden by someone after the shooting. They explained that Roberts had been dry-firing the weapon, a process of squeezing the trigger of an unloaded gun, and repeatedly racking the slide to eject and chamber rounds. In a fateful moment, he pointed the gun at himself and pulled the trigger, unaware that a live round was in the chamber. The resulting gunshot was self-inflicted and proved to be fatal. With this new information, the investigation concluded that James Roberts' death was a tragic accident, and no arrests were made in connection with the incident.
