2009 Lakewood shooting location

This is the coffee shop where the 2009 Lakewood shooting took place.

It is located at 11401 Steele Street South in Parkland, Washington.

At the time of the murders, it was called Forza Coffee. In more recent times, the unit has become home to Blue Steele Coffee.

Shootings

On the morning of November 29th, 2009, four police officers from the same patrol unit were working on their laptops at the coffee shop.

The officers, who worked for the Lakewood Police Department, were preparing for their Sunday shift.

At 8.15 a.m., a convicted felon named Maurice Clemmons opened the door and walked up to the counter.

Clemmons, who was described as being "scruffy-looking," reportedly stood at the counter in silence.

When a barista asked him if she could help him, he didn't answer. Instead, he opened his jacket, pulled out a Glock 17 9mm, and began firing at the seated officers.

Although the officers were all wearing bulletproof vests, the sudden, close-range nature of the attack gave them almost no chance of survival.

Officer Tina Griswold and Sergeant Mark Renninger were immediately killed, as Clemmons shot them both in the head while they were sitting down and looking at their laptops.

When the gunfire erupted, Officer Ronald Owens attempted to stand up and return fire. However, he was shot in the neck before he could pull out his handgun.

The final victim of the ambush was Officer Greg Richards, who was shot in the head. Despite being fatally wounded, Richards managed to shoot Clemmons in the stomach before he lost consciousness and died.

Following the attack, the injured Clemmons stepped over the officers' bodies, picked up Richards' service weapon, and exited the coffee shop. He then jogged over to a white pickup truck, which was being driven by his friend, Dorcus Allen.

Manhunt

The convicted felon was identified as the shooter after blood from his stomach wound led to a DNA match. Surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts also confirmed his involvement.

The attack was believed to be against the police in general, as he had no prior dealings with any of the victims.

For the next two days, Clemmons managed to evade a massive statewide manhunt.

Then, in the early hours of December 1st, a patrol officer named Benjamin Kelly happened across a stolen Acura Integra in the South End of Seattle. The seemingly abandoned car had caught Kelly's attention because the engine was running and its front hood was up.

After running the plates and learning that the Integra was stolen, he sat in his patrol car and proceeded to report its location. However, as he was doing so, he noticed that a man matching Clemmons' description was approaching him from behind.

When Officer Kelly jumped out of the vehicle and ordered Clemmons to stop, the wanted killer ignored the warnings and ran around to the other side of the patrol car. He then began to reach for a handgun in his front pocket.

At that point, Officer Kelly opened fire and shot him dead.