Teen fatally shot while driving in Tacoma identified by medical examiner
A 16-year-old boy who died in the hospital last month after he was shot while driving in Tacoma’s West End was identified Thursday by the Pierce County medical examiner.
Wyatt Owens of DuPont died of a gunshot wound to the head, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release. The boy’s death was ruled a homicide. He was one of two local teens killed in a shooting in Tacoma last month.
No arrests have been made, according to police. Owens was driving a white BMW north on North Pearl Street near 43rd Street on Jan. 15 when another vehicle pulled alongside his car and shot him, Tacoma Police Department said in a news release. Owen’s car left the street and drove through multiple homes’ yards before stopping at the front steps of a residence on the other side of the street.
Detectives suspect the shooting might have stemmed from a racing or road-rage incident with another car, officer Shelbie Boyd said Friday.
A 911 caller reported the incident at about 5:15 p.m. Owens was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, where police said he died five days later.
The boy’s father, Michael Owens, told FOX 13 he didn’t believe street racing led to his son’s death. The father told the TV station gun violence was out of control. Michael Owens said his son was an organ donor who helped at least seven people. He said Wyatt Owens was someone who would offer help to anyone who needed it.
“I’m going to miss that — where he just puts his arm around somebody and goes, ‘Hey, man, it’s going to be okay, we’ll figure it out,’” Owens told the TV station.
A GoFundMe was set up by a friend of the Owens family to raise money for funeral expenses, medical bills and other costs. According to the page, the teen is survived by two sisters, his father and mother. Owens was described as someone who brought joy and positivity to everyone around him.
