Tessa M. Gorman, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington
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 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, as 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.
During the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle remarked, “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.”
Court records indicate that both Jacobsen and the victim had been consuming alcohol and drugs on the morning of the shooting. They were seen together outside the victim’s home on the Puyallup reservation before witnesses heard three gunshots from behind the house. The victim sustained one gunshot wound to his arm and two to his head, at least one at close range. Witnesses observed Jacobsen fleeing from behind the house in a vehicle.
Upon searching Jacobsen's residence, police discovered a handgun with one bullet remaining in its chamber; this ammunition matched that used in the shooting.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg advocated for a 15-year sentence by stating to the court: “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 both Puyallup Tribal Police and FBI officials, with Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg prosecuting.
