A man is in jail facing a murder charge after Pierce County deputies say he shot and killed his brother during an argument at a construction site in Spanaway.
Investigators said 50-year-old Bruce Johnson is the suspected shooter. He may make his first court appearance Wednesday.
Deputies say the shooting happened just before 3 p.m. Tuesday at a housing development under construction along Military Road near Spanaway Loop Road.
Investigators described the brothers, both construction workers, as yelling when Johnson allegedly shot his 52-year-old brother, who died on the spot.
"It's just unfortunate,” said Pierce County Sheriff’s Detective Ed Troyer. “Two brothers that are in their 50s, that whatever was going on led to this conclusion."
Detectives couldn’t immediately say why the brothers were fighting, which is now under investigation.
After the shooting, deputies say Johnson drove, in a construction vehicle, to the nearby Barnes Gate at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and surrendered to JBLM security guards.
"When I looked out I saw all these cop cars,” said neighbor Cheryl Reis, who didn’t hear gunfire but could see deputies from a window at her home. "It's very quiet and being the new construction, I was shocked."
The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet released the name of the brother who was killed.
Troyer said detectives were interviewing witnesses and planned to speak with the construction company to learn more about the brothers.
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