A member of the Puyallup Tribe, Dennis Jacobsen, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for the shooting death of a friend. The sentencing took place at the U.S. District Court in Tacoma and was announced by U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.
Jacobsen, aged 32, was arrested shortly after the incident on October 21, 2021. Initially charged with unlawful possession of a firearm due to previous convictions for robbery and unlawful firearms possession in Pierce County Superior Court, he later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and using a firearm during a crime of violence in June 2024.
U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle remarked at the sentencing hearing: “This is a tragic story of illicit drug use and a firearm. The lives of the loved ones of the victim will carry this loss for years.”
Case records indicate that both Jacobsen and his victim were under the influence of alcohol and drugs on the morning of the shooting. They were seen together outside the victim’s home on Puyallup reservation grounds before witnesses heard three gunshots from behind the house. The victim suffered one gunshot wound to his arm and two to his head, with at least one shot fired at close range. Witnesses reported seeing Jacobsen flee from behind the house, get into a vehicle, and drive away.
Police discovered a handgun with one bullet remaining in its chamber at Jacobsen's residence; this ammunition matched that used in the shooting.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg requested a 15-year sentence from the court, stating: “The impact of (the victim’s) killing has been felt deeply in the community. His girlfriend was pregnant with his son at the time of the killing. She can now only show her son photographs of his father. (The victim’s) parents are now without a son and the greater Puyallup community has lost another tribal member to a violent tragedy.”
Following his prison term, Jacobsen will be subject to five years of supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by Puyallup Tribal Police alongside FBI involvement.
Prosecution efforts were led by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg.