A man who was the suspect in a Pierce County murder, along with his ex-girlfriend of Bremerton, were killed in an officer-involved shooting in the 3000 block of NE Forest Drive Nov. 17.
On Nov. 21 the man was identified as Shawn Luzama, 49, of Bremerton. He died of multiple gunshot wounds, the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office says in a news release.
Luzama had been on the run from Pierce County law enforcement for over a month as he was a suspect in the Aug. 5 murder of 41-year-old Michael Lefeau in Parkland. A warrant was issued for Luzama’s arrest Sept. 27 on charges of second-degree murder and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
The release identified the woman as 47-year-old Denise Pangelinan, the resident of the home where the standoff occurred, according to her landlord. Pangelinan died at St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale of a single gunshot wound.
Officials provided an update Nov. 22 saying Pierce County and Washington State Patrol SWAT teams engaged an armed Luzama, who was seated next to Pangelinan in a vehicle at that time. The report states that Kitsap County SWAT was present but not involved in the use of force that ended the standoff.
The deaths of Luzama and Pangelinan brought about a bloody end to a lengthy standoff between Luzama and both law enforcement and SWAT teams from Pierce and Kitsap counties throughout the morning of Nov. 17.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office was working with FBI agents to attempt an arrest of Luzama at the Bremerton home, where multiple neighbors said he had been seen. The landlord was aware of the man whom she believed had been involved romantically with Pangelinan. Family members also came out later saying the suspect was her ex-boyfriend.
Luzama opened fire on law enforcement at 3:40 a.m., Kitsap Sheriff’s Office officials reported. Over the next several hours, he continued to fire gunshots at deputies. A Nov. 17 release from the Kitsap Critical Incident Response Team said deputies and Bremerton police provided containment. Nearby residents were asked to shelter in place, and injuries to law enforcement or other residents were reported.
The final series of shots went off at approximately 10:03 a.m. from the north side of the home, according to the KCIRT. The final shots were followed shortly after by the mobilization of multiple ambulances to the crime scene.
PCSD Sgt. Darren Moss Jr. was asked in a Nov. 17 news conference why police had not gone public with the identity of the suspect, to which he said, “We don’t want to bring any more attention to the suspect basically.”
