A Washington barbershop owner was slaughtered in his own shop Wednesday night — while he was giving an 8-year-old child a haircut.
A gunman entered JQ Barber Shop in Puyallup — about 30 miles south of Seattle — shortly after 5 p.m. and shot the barber multiple times, police said in a statement Wednesday.
The victim, a 43-year-old man who lived in Tacoma, was later identified as the owner of the barbershop. His name has not been released by authorities.
“The business was occupied at the time of the incident by several individuals who are cooperating with the investigation,” police said.
Witnesses told authorities that after the gunman entered the business, he went “directly” to the booth where the owner was giving the small child a haircut and began firing.
The child receiving a haircut was not harmed in the fusillade.
“These individuals informed responding officers that the suspect entered the business and went directly to the booth where the victim was cutting an 8-year-old child’s hair. Per the witnesses, the suspect entered the booth and shot the victim multiple times,” cops said.
The gunman — described as 5 feet 8, of an unknown race and wearing black pants, a black jacket and possibly a mask — quickly fled on foot, police said.
The victim had died by the time emergency responders from Central Pierce Fire and Rescue arrived.
Officers conducted an extensive search of the surrounding area for the gunman, even bringing in a police canine, but have not yet located the suspect.
The shooting is being investigated by the Puyallup Police Department’s Investigative Services Unit.