Paul Richard Courtney, 63, was shot and killed in his Parkland home on the evening of October 10, 2025. The Pierce County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be a shotgun wound to the chest and ruled the death a homicide. The shooting occurred in the 400 block of 142nd Street Court South while Paul Courtney and his wife were in separate rooms watching a baseball game.

Deputies arrived around 8:05 p.m.; Paul Courtney was found at the top of the stairs and was pronounced dead at 8:27 p.m. A 12-gauge shotgun was recovered from a bed in the home. Michael Courtney initially did not comply with commands but surrendered at 8:52 p.m.

Michael Courtney has been charged with first-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm; a not guilty plea was entered for him at arraignment on October 13, 2025. Prosecutors cited concerns about his mental health and said the shooting appeared to be without any apparent reason. Bail was set at $1 million and no contact with his mother was ordered. Was anyone in the neighborhood aware of tensions in the household or any unusual activity that night?