Shot fired as Fife Police arrest murder suspect at a Kent motel

Published 12:50 pm Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Fife Police arrested a man Thursday, Dec. 21 at a Kent motel wanted for murder.

A shot was fired by a member of the Pierce County Metro Cities SWAT team prior to the man being taken into custody, but nobody was hit by the gunfire, according to a Dec. 26 email from Fire Police Assistant Chief Aaron Gardner.

Fife Police detectives tracked the man to a Kent motel in the 22300 block of 84th Avenue South. Police had been searching for Andrew Fonoti for several weeks after investigating the homicide of Rudolph King III. Fonoti was also wanted for a drive-by-shooting, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, Gardner said.

Fonoti was considered armed and dangerous, which is why Fife Police called in a SWAT unit, Gardner said.

Officers booked Fonoti into the Pierce County Jail.