Barber gunned down in his own shop while giving an 8-year-old a haircut

Frightening reports out of Washington state indicate that a barber shop owner was shot dead in his own shop while an 8-year-old boy and his mother looked on in horror.

At approximately 5 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, police were called to JQ Barber Shop in Puyallup, Washington, about 30 miles south of Seattle. When they arrived, they found a single gunshot victim. Through a preliminary investigation, they determined that the victim was the 43-year-old shop owner. Central Pierce Fire and Rescue pronounced the man dead at the scene.

The victim's name has not been released, but Puyallup police have confirmed that he lived in Tacoma, about 20 miles northwest of the shop.

Witnesses said the owner was shot while he was giving a haircut to an 8-year-old boy. The boy was not hurt during the shooting. His mother was also in the shop, as were another shop employee and another patron. Aside from the shop owner, no one else was physically harmed during the attack.

Puyallup police said that all witnesses have cooperated in the investigation. According to their statements, a male suspect, about 5-foot-8 and "wearing black pants, a black jacket, and possibly a mask," charged into the shop and walked directly to the booth where the victim was busy working. The suspect, whose race could not be identified, then "shot the victim multiple times" and "fled the area on foot."

Police say they conducted a thorough search of the area and even used the assistance of "a police canine," but were unable to locate the suspect, who still remains at large. Despite the absence of a suspect, police do believe this was a targeted attack. They have asked area residents and businesses to share any surveillance footage from that day in the hopes of solving this case.

"If you locate a video of the suspect, you are asked to call the Puyallup Police Department tip line at 253-770-3343 or email tips@puyallupwa.gov," the police report states.