I have a really big birthday gift for you, he said. The chief and his wife arrived in the parking lot separate cars, with the couple's children in Crystal Brame's vehicle. I had a pen and a notebook, not a smartphone. But Teichroeb pointed out that a top law enforcement official was being accused of committing a crime. In the seven days between the police chief's suicide and the decision to remove his brain-dead widow from life support, a sensational shooting that had at first been perceived as a domestic. Passive-aggressive charm was his specialty. The children ran toward their mother's car after hearing the shots, he said. Crystal Brame accused her husband of pointing his gun at her, trying to choke her and saying he ``could snap my neck if he wanted to.. The couple had been going through a divorce. Police Say Tacoma Chief Shoots Wife, Self TIM KLASS April 26, 2003 GIG HARBOR, Wash. (AP) _ Tacoma Police Chief David Brame was killed and his wife was injured in an apparent murder-suicide attempt Saturday, a day after abuse allegations in the couple's divorce case were publicized in media reports. Active Shooter Response Needs Digital Age Collaboration, SPECIAL REPORT: Traffic Safety and Enforcement, How to Support Officer Wellness from Hire to Retire, Columbia Southern University Introduces 27 New Academic Programs to Catalog. Editors note: This story, examining the aftermath of the David Brame scandal and its effect on the city of Tacoma, was originally published in 2013. Between 2003 and 2005, I wrote or co-wrote more than 100 stories about a scandal that ended careers and drowned the city and the police department in waves of recrimination. She turned 35. The Gig Harbor Police Department is investigating the shooting, with the help of the Pierce County sheriff's office. It was one of many stories revealing, in hindsight, the dubious rise of a disastrous leader. Hospital officials would not comment on her condition. The couple's two young children were in the parking lot at the time of shooting, but it wasn't immediately known if they witnessed the violence. Across the country, eerily similar shootings have recently occurred. Crystal Brame accused her husband of pointing his gun at her, trying to choke her and saying he "could snap my neck if he wanted to.". Crystal Brame, 35, remained in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center, according to news reports. We interviewed the late Lane Judson, Crystals father, who turned his daughters death into a crusade against domestic violence. Brame contended that his wife had been the abusive one and that she was emotionally unstable and was trying to destroy his career. Tacoma Police Chief David Brame died yesterday after he shot his 35-year-old estranged wife and himself in a strip-mall parking lot in Gig Harbor, Pierce County. GIG HARBOR, Wash. (AP) _ Tacoma Police Chief David Brame was killed and his wife was injured in an apparent murder-suicide attempt Saturday, a day after abuse allegations in the couples divorce case were publicized in media reports. He sought legal advice on his divorce from city attorneys. He looked good blonde, blue-eyed, smart, young and fit. "He was exactly what you want rose up through the ranks, worked very hard and made chief," he said. It ended with a $12.5 million legal settlement, policy reforms and a domestic violence center named for Crystal Judson. Tacoma Police Chief David Brame was killed and his wife was critically injured in an apparent murder-suicide attempt Saturday, a day after abuse allegations in the couple's divorce case were publicized in media reports. Tacoma's city manager, Ray Corpuz, issued a statement today expressing shock at the shootings, which were witnessed by the couple's children, Haley, 8, and David Jr., 5. I cant unsee the transcripts I read long ago from the state investigation that followed the shootings. The boss was the one going crazy, but the boss also happened to be ruthless, and subordinates knew it. What do you do when this particular boss falls apart? Another Tacoma homicide: Man found dead after Saturday evening shooting Police Chief Shoots Wife and Kills Himself | Police Magazine The passage of time boggles my mind. They were in the care of their mother's parents Saturday night, Troyer said. Tacoma, Wash., Police Chief David Brame, 44, shot his wife in the head in a mall parking lot before fatally shooting himself. At one point, the chief put the children in his car, then went back to his wifes car, shot her and turned the gun on himself, authorities believe. The wife of Tacoma Police Chief David Brame was in critical condition with a gunshot wound. The divorce papers were filed in another county, and it was Crystal Brame's wishes to keep the allegations quiet. Sheriff's spokesman Troyer said the dispatcher did not send an officer to the residence because Crystal Brame had called hours after the chief and his assistant had left, and she had no proof that Woodard or Chief Brame had threatened or intimidated her. He recalled how Chief Brame was ''beaming'' when his wife pinned a star to his chest at his installation ceremony in January 2002 as one of this city's youngest chiefs of police. His wife, Crystal, was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head. Eventually, we got their answers. Then he shot himself. Seattle Times staff reporters TACOMA On the day Police Chief David Brame was buried, and his estranged wife was declared dead, city officials were mired in a controversy over whether they. They were just running for safety, said Kirsten Oakland, 36, and a hair stylist at Harbor Cutter, a shop that looks out onto the parking lot. The chief and his wife arrived in the parking lot separate cars, with the couples children in Crystal Brames vehicle. In the divorce papers, David Brame claimed he had been victimized in the relationship. I watched her move her hand up to her head," Pullin said. Tacoma Police Chief David Brame kept a picture in his office, a framed portrait of a young executive: Al Pacino as cold-eyed Michael Corleone, the freshly anointed Godfather. I know we tried to do our jobs the right way. The shooting took place around 3:10 p.m. in the parking lot of a shopping center in this town northwest of Tacoma, Troyer said. He accused his wife of having a "ferocious temper" and being emotionally unstable. She was found on the pavement beside her vehicle. Acting Tacoma police chief replaced. Old rumors of his behavior included an allegation of sexual assault, deemed unproven after an internal investigation led to a he-said, she-said impasse. It destroyed careers, sundered political alliances and devastated the Police Department. On Friday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that documents in the couples divorce case recounted a stormy, sometimes violent relationship. So, you are on the hunt for new training technology to improve the learning, experience and retainment of knowledge for your agency. A witness said she saw people in the parking lot running around and screaming after the shootings. His wife, Crystal, was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition. Another Tacoma homicide: Man found dead after Saturday evening shooting Corpuz told The News Tribune he would not investigate the chief. Tacoma Police Chief Shoots Wife, Self - myplainview.com Capstone Green Energy is providing a second microturbine energy system to a large West Texas oil Four new members joined the Petroleum Hall of Fame at an induction dinner honoring the Class of 2023. The story haunts me. It led state Attorney General Chris Gregoire to describe the department under Brame as culturally corrupt.. It did not appear anyone else was involved in the shooting. Weve actually never seen higher numbers, May is a big month for this geoduck farm planned for Pierce County. One person died after a reported Saturday evening shooting in Tacoma, according to the Tacoma Police Department. At one point, the chief put the children in his car, then went back to his wifes car, shot her and turned the gun on himself. Subscribe Subscribe; e-Edition The children were in the care of their mothers parents Saturday night, Troyer said. Frantz said Brame was "a dynamite chief" who was implementing new policies and making good connections with the community. For six years, Brame was chief contract negotiator for the police union, representing patrol officers. TACOMA A woman who witnessed Wednesday's shooting of Tacoma police Officer Reginald "Jake" Gutierrez said he sacrificed himself to save his partner and the wife of the man who opened fire. TNT archives: Looking back at Tacoma's David Brame scandal | Tacoma The shootings occurred at the Olympic Plaza shopping center in Gig Harbor, a maritime suburb across the Tacoma Narrows, a day after abuse accusations in the couple's divorce case appeared in local papers. Though there was a standard restraining order that protected the couple's assets during the divorce, she had said in divorce documents that she had chosen not to obtain a no-contact order, against the advice of her lawyer. For the record, thats false. Corpuz told him to focus on work. That's something Angela Connelly, founder of TacomaSafe, hopes the. His administrative assistant, Jeanette Blackwell, described the numbing routine to investigators. His wife, Crystal, was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition. It also was a sign of respect, perhaps even fear. Catherine Woodard, assistant chief for criminal investigations, was named acting chief. We were just shocked.. Thats fine, he recalled Corpuz saying. Dispatch received reports at about 10:48 p . He also had served as commander of the criminal investigations division and headed up the department's internal-affairs division. They were just running for safety," said Kirsten Oakland, 36, and a hair stylist at Harbor Cutter, a shop that looks out onto the parking lot. "Anybody that was out here heard the children screaming," said Warnock. He accused his wife of having a "ferocious temper" and being emotionally unstable. She was in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle Sunday, according to her attorney. On Friday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that documents in the couples divorce case recounted a stormy, sometimes violent relationship. Asterisks surrounded his 1981 hiring; Brame took three psychological evaluations before he was deemed eligible. Corpuz declined to act, saying he wouldnt respond to anonymous complaints. They were in the care of their mothers parents Saturday night, Troyer said. Editors were trying to be careful about an explosive story involving the personal lives of two people. My colleague Martha Modeen and I interviewed numerous cops who had been isolated or banished by the chief, who was known for rewarding friends and punishing enemies. Catherine Woodard, an assistant chief, is now acting chief, Mr. Corpuz said. "She had some significant concerns about that," Lombino said. Odd gaps appeared in his references. But Gig Harbor Police Chief Mitchell Barker said Friday that Brames account is different from what his officers recall and records indicate. The QB they wanted at 5 was gone, Man fatally shot on Puyallup tribal trust land identified by the medical examiner, Wrong-way driver kills Auburn man in head-on crash early Sunday, State Patrol says, Neighborhood Clinic serves Tacomas neediest. Those were wild days in Tacoma. He also saw a bystander pick up the handgun and then make a call on his cellphone. Crystal Brame didn't have a court order forbidding either her husband or Woodard from contacting her, and Chief Brame had simply come to the residence to pick up the children for a planned weekend visit, Troyer said. Online college and university programs can help you advance your law enforcement career, but higher education success requires planning and commitment. The chief had been dealing with a departmental audit, said Mayor Bill Baarsma of Tacoma, but he didnt see evidence of any deeper problems. As it turned out, I was probably the only TNT reporter who didnt work that day. Tacoma Police Chief Shoots Wife Before Killing Himself, Authorities Say, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/28/us/tacoma-police-chief-shoots-wife-before-killing-himself-authorities-say.html. Before shooting his estranged wife and killing himself, Tacoma Police Chief David Brame had sought professional counseling to help deal with the stress of . I'm very disappointed in what he's done," he said. Memoir: Tacoma Police Chief David Brame killed his wife Crystal and himself 20 years ago By Sean Robinson Updated April 25, 2023 5:46 PM Tacoma Police Chief David Brame was a fan of. But Brame said he had been victimized in the relationship. According to Crystal Brame's report, she was living at her parents' home "for safety reasons." The paper has since taken heat from the Tacoma police union, the city manager and a city council member, each of whom say that the charges made in the suit should not have been published. We worked until midnight. Tacoma police is working with a staff of 50 fewer personnel than it's budgeted for, which has led to longer response times. They were just running for safety, said Kirsten Oakland, 36, and a hair stylist at Harbor Cutter, a shop that looks out onto the parking lot. We didnt use the word then, but records revealed that Brame was gaslighting Crystal, physically and emotionally abusing her while claiming to be the victim of her abuse and looping his subordinates into the idea. She called 911 after a weekend transfer of the couples two children turned ugly; Brame brought Assistant Chief Catherine Woodard along for the exchange, enraging Crystal and her family. A woman who witnessed Wednesday's shooting of Tacoma police Officer Reginald "Jake" Gutierrez said he sacrificed himself to save his partner and the wife of the man who opened fire. After 17 years, Tacoma police chief with 'good heart and tough job Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. He and his wife, 35-year-old Crystal Brame, had been going through a divorce. Officers recovered a Glock .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun from the crime scene. At ILEETA 2023, a seminar sessiondubbed "Street Leadership - Never Again Uvalde, Texas! Police chief dies after shooting wife, himself | Tacoma News Tribune To qualify for GSA approval, an organization must complete a rigorous application process and have a proven track record within its industry. Crystal Brame had filed for divorce two months ago, detailing in court documents incidents of physical and psychological abuse by her husband, including an incident in November 2002 when David . But youll have to wait until I get home, because I have to give it to you in person.. I was there. Two weeks ago rookie Officer Nickolas Wilt ran toward danger with his training officer after a shooter inside the Old National Bank killed five fellow employees.