A man allegedly stabbed a Parkland, Wash. resident and his dog early Sunday after confronting the victim in a convenience store parking lot about his religion, authorities said.
Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies responded around 6:30 a.m. to a 911 call from Eddie Nitschke, who reported that an unknown assailant attacked him in the parking lot where he, his girlfriend, and their two dogs were living out of their car, according to the Seattle-based KING 5. Medics rushed Nitschke to a hospital and transported the dog to a local animal hospital, both in serious condition from their injuries.
Nitschke said the encounter began when the suspect approached and asked him about his faith. Nitschke initially said he was not religious, but the man pressed him.
“I said, ‘I’m not religious,’” Nitschke said. “And he goes, ‘Well, what religion are you?’ I said, ‘I guess Christian.’”
Nitschke said the suspect then accused him of stalking — an allegation he denied — before launching the attack. The assailant reportedly struck him multiple times with two knives, puncturing his lung. During the assault, Nitschke told his girlfriend to release their dog, which lunged at the attacker and was stabbed as well.
BREAKING | The victim told deputies the unknown man had come up to him and asked what religion he was. The victim answered, saying something about being a Christian, and the man then attacked and stabbed the victim and his dog.https://t.co/HWHmtWPWtM
— KOMO News (@komonews) January 25, 2026
“My shirt was drenched with blood,” Nitschke said.
Deputies canvassed the area with K-9 units and spotted the suspect around 8:45 a.m. fleeing into a residential neighborhood. A deputy confronted the man in a backyard and found him armed. Deputies later killed the suspect following the brief manhunt.
“He was armed with a couple of knives, and he came at the deputies,” Lakewood Police Department spokesperson Charles Porche said.
Multiple deputies opened fire. Paramedics transported the suspect to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Nitschke said he learned the suspect was brought to a room near him. He described hearing a flurry of activity moments later.
“And then I hear ‘Code red, code red,’ and they wheeled the guy in right beside me,” he said.
Nitschke said news of the suspect’s death left him conflicted. “I felt bad,” he said. “But then I thought, ‘He just stabbed me.’”
Doctors diagnosed Nitschke with a collapsed lung, a blood clot in his brain, and lung cancer — an illness that physicians had suspected last year. Despite medical advice to remain hospitalized, he discharged himself to check on his dog.
No deputies suffered injuries. The Pierce County Major Crimes Task Force is investigating the shooting and the stabbing. Authorities said they have limited information about the suspect’s ties to the area.
The Lakewood Police Department did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Public/Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 4.0)
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