3rd Tacoma Homicide of 2024: TamRah Dickman

TamRah Dickman had five children and they were the world to her. She was fiercely loyal when it came to family. She was that relative you could count on. Her two younger brothers loved their big sister big time as did the rest of her family. Theirs is a tight-knit family. Just over a year ago that family was shattered.

On the evening of January 27, 2024, 39-year-old TamRah went to the Emerald Queen Casino with a 42-year-old ex-boyfriend. They’d dated previously for a few months, but it never worked. They broke up nearly every weekend until they finally broke up for good. But they still saw each other.

While they were at the casino, they got into an argument. They left separately. He went to at least one, possibly more bars. She went home.

After TamRah had gotten home, she was walking to a convenient store with three of her kids when she realized that her ex had her wallet. She then left to get her wallet back.

What happened next is difficult to say because TamRah cannot tell her side of the story and her ex’s version of how he shot TamRah three times changed multiple times.

At 1:43am in the early morning of January 28, 2024 TamRah’s ex called 9-1-1 to report he had shot her. When police arrived they found TamRah on the ground, a pepper spray container close to one of her hands. In one of the pockets of her jeans was a small firearm. First responders pronounced TamRah dead on the scene. She is the third Tacoma homicide of 2024.

While the air in the house had pepper spray in it, making it difficult to breathe, the 42-year-old man in front of first responders notably did not smell of pepper spray. TamRah’s ex told police that he had gotten home and found $4,000 missing and thought that TamRah had taken it. He claimed she had broken in through a window, though evidence made police doubt that. He told them that she had pointed the pepper spray and a gun at him from his closet and he had fired four shots supposedly not knowing who was in the closet.

Police doubted the man’s claims of self defense and arrested him. He has since been charged with TamRah’s murder.

While the apprehension of the person responsible can give families and friends much needed closure, it doesn’t fix the hole in their lives left by their murdered loved one. TamRah’s family continues to adjust to her loss and find ways to move on while keeping her memory alive.

TamRah’s family has an active GoFundMe. In a world of corporate greed, sometimes giving directly to families who need it is the best way to help make it a better world.

TamRah’s love wasn’t just for her family. She was a proud member of LIUNA 242. She was loved on and off the job site.

I didn’t know TamRah. I can’t tell you what her laugh sounded like. I can’t tell you stories of her resilience and tenacity. But her friends and family can. That is why the comment section is reserved for those who knew and loved TamRah and want to share thoughts or memories of her.

- Jack Cameron

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