>>>
>>> NOVEMBER 2009, MAN WITH A GRUDGE AGAINST THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT WALKED INTO A COFFEE
SHOP AND GUNNED DOWN FOUR
OFFICERS.
OFFICERS.
OFFICERS. AT THE TIME, NOTHING LIKE THIS
HAD HAPPENED IN THE U.S. IT
TORE FAMILIES AART AND ALSO
BROUGHT PEOPLE TOGETHER.
IT RENEWED A SENSE OF VIGILANCE
TO POLICING THAT MADE THE
DEPARTMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF
WASHINGTON STRONGER.
WASHINGTON STRONGER. >> USED TO BE ABLE TO GOOGLE
CITY OF LAKEWOOD AND IT WOULD
BE COPS, RIGHT?
BECAUSE THEY WOULD ALWAYS FILM
HERE.
HERE.
HERE. AND
HERE. AND NOW IT'S NOT KNOWN FOR
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. >>
THAT. >> Reporter: TODAY PIERCE
COUNTY'S SECOND LARGEST CITY IS
THRIVING.
THRIVING.
THRIVING. BUT IT WILL FOREVER BE SCARED
BY WHAT HAPPENED 10 YEARS AGO.
ON A SUNDAY MORNING, A
CONVICTED FELON WALKED THROUGH
THE DOORS OF THIS COFFEE SHOP
AND SHOT FOUR OFFICERS TO
DEATH.
DEATH.
DEATH. CHIEF MIKE ZARR OOH WAS
ASSISTANT CHIEF AT THE TIME,
AND HAS BEEN BOOK HERE EVERY AN
VERSERY.
VERSERY.
VERSERY. >> HOW DID YOU BRING YOURSELF
TO DO IT?
TO DO IT?
TO DO IT? ? WELL, THE FIRST TIME, IT WAS
A MORE ABOUT HAVING A JOB TO
DO.
DO.
DO. >>
DO. >> Reporter: HE AGREED TO SIT
DOWN WITH US IN THE COFFEE
SHOP.
SHOP.
SHOP. IT
SHOP. IT HAS SINCE BEEN RENAMED BLUE
STEEL, AND IT'S WALLS PLAY
TRIBUTE TO THE OFFICERS KILLED
THAT DAY.
THAT DAY.
THAT DAY. >> ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM CASE.
IT WAS AKIN TO SOMEBODY WALKING
IN AND SETTING OFF A BOMB.
>> Reporter: ON THAT DAY, WE
LOST SERGEANT MARK RENNINGER,
OFFICER GREG RICHARDS.
OFFICER TINA GRISWOLD, AND
OFFICER RONALD OWENS.
THE DAY ITSELF WAS BAD ENOUGH.
THE WEEKS AND MONTHS THAT
FOLLOWED WERE A COMPLETE FOG.
>> YOU KNOW, THERE WAS NO
ROADMAP TO IT.
WE DIDN'T KNOW -- YOU KNOW, WE
COULDN'T SAY, OKAY, YOU KNOW,
WE JUST HAD FOUR OFFICERS
KILLED, HERE IS OUR NEXT STEPS,
HERE IS A, B, C, AND D, BECAUSE
NOBODY HAD GONE THROUGH THAT
BEFORE.
BEFORE.
BEFORE. >> Reporter: ADMINISTRATIVE
ASSISTANT JOANNA NICHOLS WAS
DOING SOME YARDWORK THAT SUNDAY
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. HER PHONE JUST KEPT RINGING.
IT WAS A FRIEND FROM A
DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT.
DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT. >> AND WHEN HE TOLD BY THE THAT
FOUR OF MY SISTERS HAD BEEN
SHOT, I STARTED A MENTAL LIST
OF DON'T LET IT BE, AND AFTER A
HUNDRED OFFICERS, I REALIZED,
OKAY, WELL, IT HAD TO BE FOUR
OF THEM.
OF THEM.
OF THEM. >> Reporter: HER SUPPORT ROLE
IN THE DEPARTMENT TOOK ON NEW
MEANING AS CO-WORKERS LEANED ON
EACH OTHER.
EACH OTHER. >> WE WERE JUST TRYING TO FIND
A NEW NORMAL.
>> I KNEW THEM WELL.
I MEAN, I'VE WORK WITH THEM
SINCE THE DAY THEY STARTED.
>> Reporter: LIEUTENANT JEFF
ALWINE WAS THE FIRST LAKEWOOD
OFFICER ON THE SCENE.
HE HAS NEVER TALKED ABOUT IT
PUBLICLY UNTIL NOW, AND SAT
WITH ME FOR THE FIRST TIME AT
THE FALLEN OFFICER MEMORIAL IN
FRONT OF THE DEPARTMENT.
>> FELT LIKE IT WASN'T REAL.
IT WAS NOT UNTIL AFTER I WAKED
OUT AND REALIZED THAT I NEEDED
TO MAKE SOME PHONE CALLS TO THE
CHIEF SOME ASSISTANT CHIEF, I
KNEW THAT I NEEDED TO ACTIVATE
THINGS AND GET PEOPLE MOVING,
BECAUSE WE WERE THERE IN A
HORRIFIC TRAGIC EVENT THAT WAS
GOING TO REQUIRE A TON OF
SUPPORT.
SUPPORT.
SUPPORT. >> THE FIRST CALL, THOUGH, WAS
TO YOUR WIFE.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> Reporter: KRISTA, HIS ROCK
OF 25 YEAR'S IN GOOD TIMES AND
IN BAD.
IN BAD.
IN BAD. WHY?
WHY?
WHY? HOW?
HOW?
HOW? THERE WAS ANGER, THERE WAS
FEAR, AND THAT WASN'T
UNREASONABLE, GIVEN AN ACT THAT
DEFIED REASON, AN ACT THAT PUT
SO MUCH STRAIN ON SO MANY
FAMILIES.
FAMILIES.
FAMILIES. HE CREDITS HER RESILIENCE FOR
KEEPING HIM ON TRACK, HELPING
HIM FIND A PATH TO HEALING.
>> IT IS OKAY TO ADMIT THAT
YOU'RE HURTING AND OKAY TO SEEK
PROFESSIONAL HELP.
PROFESSIONAL HELP. >> Reporter: AND HE DID.
ON THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE
SHOOTING.
SHOOTING.
SHOOTING. INSTEAD OF GATHERING WITH WITH
OTHER OFFICERS TO REMEMBER THE
FALLEN FOUR, HE GATHERED THE
COURAGE TO ASK FOR HELP.
>> I DON'T THINK I RECOGNIZED
HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS.
I FEEL LIKE I JUST WITH BACK TO
WORK, LIKE THAT WAS THE BEST
THING I COULD DO WAS JUST GET
BACK TO WORK.
I WENT THROUGH A PERIOD OF
TIMES WHERE I QUESTIONED
WHETHER OR NOT I WANTED TO KEEP
DOING THE JOB.
>> BUT COUNSELING WAS NOW PART
OF THE JOB.
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, AS HE
CALLS IT, TO KEEP HIS MIND IN
CHECK.
CHECK.
CHECK. TIME HAS ALSO HELPED.
BUT IT MAY NEVER HEAL ALL OF
THE WOUNDS HERE.
>> I DON'T KNOW THAT I'VE EVER
TRULY GOTTEN OVER IT, BUT EVERY
DAY, EVERY YEAR THAT GOES BY,
IT GETS A LITTLE EASIER.
IT IS NOT IN THE FOREFRONT OF
MY BRAIN.
MY BRAIN.
MY BRAIN. WHEN I STARTED IN 2010, IT WAS
A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A PLACE
WHERE YOU -- I MEAN, THERE WERE
SOME MORE DICEY OR PRECARIOUS,
DANGEROUS TYPE CALLS.
NOT THAT THOSE DON'T EXIST
ANYMORE, BUT THE CITY IS TAKING
A TURN FOR THE BETTER.
>> Reporter: OFFICER KEITH
ZULIGER IS PART OF THE NEW
GUARD HERE IN LAKEWOOD.
STILL OUTNUMBERED TWO TO ONE BY
THE VETERAN FACES ON THE
DEPARTMENT A TAKE AGO.
HE WAS THE FIRST NEW OFFICER
HIRED ON.
HIRED ON.
HIRED ON. >> HAD TO BE TOUCH COMING INTO
THE DEPARTMENT WITH A FRESH
TRAGEDY LIKE THAT.
>> IT WAS.
ABSOLUTELY.
ABSOLUTELY. WHERE DO I IN IT, RIGHT?
WHERE DO I -- WHERE DO I FIT
INTO THIS PUZZLE HERE, BECAUSE
EVERYBODY HERE NOW HAS A STORY,
AND I'M NOW AT OUTSIDER COMING
INTO SOMETHING.
INTO SOMETHING. >> Reporter: WELL, SURE, AND
ALSO YOU DON'T WANT TO BE
LOOKED AT AS A REPLACEMENT FOR
ONE OF THE FALLEN OFFICERS.
>> VERY TRUE, AND I'LL BE
HONEST WITH YOU, I'VE ALWAYS
THOUGHT THAT, BUT BE I'VE NEVER
TOLD ANYBODY HERE THAT, BECAUSE
THAT'S AN ABSOLUTE FEELING
INTERNALLY, BUT --
>> Reporter: BUT THEY DIDN'T
TREAT YOU LIKE THAT?
>> NEVER, NOT ONE TIME.
>> Reporter: INSTEAD, HE SAID
HE WAS TREATED WITH THE UTMOST
RESPECT.
RESPECT.
RESPECT. FACTIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT
GAVE WAY TO A NEW FAMILY.
>> THERE WERE JUST THESE CLICKS
OF OFFICERS FROM WHEREVER THEY
CAME FROM.
CAME FROM. AFTER THE MURDERS IN 2009, WE
WERE THE LAKEWOOD POLICE
DEPARTMENT.
DEPARTMENT. THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT, YOU
KNOW, YOU JUST -- JUST HAVEN'T
HEALED YET OR COMPLETELY COME
TO TERMS WITH IT.
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT THAT
IS STILL VERY MUCH AT THE
FOREFRONT OF THEIR MOTIVATION
EVEN TO COME TO WORK.
>> Reporter: FOR THOSE
INVOLVED IN THIS TRAGEDY, LIFE
WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.
FOR THEM, IT'S ABOUT FINDING
PEACE.
PEACE.
PEACE. >>
PEACE. >> I USED TO NOT BE ABLE TO
DRIVE BY THE COFFEE SHOP AT
ALL.
ALL.
ALL. I
ALL. I WOULD ALWAYS AVOID GOING THAT
DIRECTION.
DIRECTION. I CAN DRIVE BY IT NOW.
I DON'T STOP.
NO, I'VE NEVER BEEN BACK.
I DON'T NEED TO.