Sixth Tacoma Homicide of 2017: Oscar Blackwater

His name was Oscar Blackwater. He was 74 years old. He was one of Tacoma’s homeless population. A friend went looking for him Monday morning. His body was found on a trail in the 3500 block of Pacific Avenue. An autopsy would reveal that he died from blunt force trauma to the head and chest. He was beaten to death on the streets of Tacoma.

Oscar’s death is the sixth homicide in Tacoma this year. His murder is the latest incident in a series of assaults and robberies on Tacoma’s homeless population. One victim stated that he was not only beaten and robbed of valuables but they also stole his pants.

The homeless are among our most vulnerable citizens. Tacoma’s homelessness problem is so significant that the city declared a State of Emergency. New efforts to create more sustainable and safe homeless camps has met with mixed results so far.

At the time of this writing police have no information on the suspect or suspects responsible for Oscar’s murder. Anyone with information on Oscar’s death is asked to contact the Tacoma Police Department.

As always, the comments section is monitored and reserved for those who knew Oscar and want to share memories of him.

UPDATE: CrimeStoppers is offering $1,000 reward to information that leads to the conviction of Oscar's killer. Anyone with information is urged to call 800-222-TIPS (8477).

UPDATE 2: Oscar's family is trying to bring his body back home to Arizona. They've started a GoFundMe to make this happen. https://www.gofundme.com/bring-home-oscar-blackwater

- Jack Cameron