A Washington State Patrol trooper and Army veteran was killed Friday evening, Dec. 19, after being struck by a vehicle while investigating a crash on State Route 509 in Tacoma.
Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting, 29, was standing outside her patrol car investigating a two-vehicle collision on the southbound side when she was struck south of the Port of Tacoma around 7:30 p.m., the agency confirmed.
People at the scene immediately rendered aid, but Guting later died from her injuries, police said.
The Tacoma Police Department has taken over the investigation into the incident. It was not immediately clear whether the driver involved would face charges.
Guting began her career with the WSP as a trooper cadet in January 2024 and graduated with the agency’s 119th Trooper Basic Training Class later that year. She was commissioned on Oct. 30 and assigned to District 1 in Tacoma.
Her death marks the 34th line-of-duty death in the agency’s 105-year history, WSP said.
Guting is survived by her husband, Timothy, a deputy state fire marshal who works at the Washington State Patrol Fire Training Academy in North Bend.
Born July 19, 1996, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Guting was raised by her parents, Russell and Cheryl Hirata. She graduated from Mililani High School in 2014 before beginning a career in public service.
She enlisted in the Army National Guard in October 2014 and served honorably for eight years as a signal intelligence analyst, completing her military service in October 2022, according to WSP.
She and her husband were married in August 2019 at the Fire Training Academy.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to Timothy, Tara’s extended family, her friends, her academy classmates, to District 1 Captain Gundermann, and his entire team,” Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste said in a statement. “We will never forget Badge #720 – Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting.”
“The sky has poured rain on us all for the past two weeks,” Batiste added. “And with this loss, now tears flood our souls.”
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