11th Tacoma Homicide of 2020: Kelsea Michelle Carlson

 On April 3^rd 28-year-old Kelsea Michelle Carlson logged onto her incarcerated father’s social media account looking for a buyer for the half pound of methamphetamine she was looking to sell. After finding a seller, shortly before midnight, three men showed up to the apartment she shared with her 33-year-old fiancé in the 1400 block of South Union Ave. One of the men said that something wasn’t right about the deal and pulled a pistol. He shot Kelsea multiple times and shot her fiancé twice in the leg. The three men then left. One left behind his cellphone. Kelsea’s fiancé called 9-1-1 and told them to hurry. By the time first responders arrived, Kelsea had died from her wounds. Her fiancé survived, but had to have surgery on his leg.

Kelsea is the eleventh Tacoma homicide this year and the second drug related murder in a week. There is a certain portion of the population who do not care about drug related murders. It’s easy to be callous right up until the point where you realize that every homicide victim has friends and family who will never be the same thanks to their loved one being stolen from them. In Kelsea’s case, she has a young daughter who is now going to grow up never knowing her mother. The thing people tend to forget about homicides is that the person who was murdered is only one of many victims of the crime.

Kelsea’s family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to pay for her funeral expenses.

As always, the comments section is moderated and reserved for those who knew Kelsea and want to share any thoughts or memories of her.

• Jack