12/20/2025
So much alofa and condolences to her family.
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) confirms the tragic loss of Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting #720, who was killed Friday evening after being struck by a vehicle in Tacoma.
Trooper Guting was standing outside of her patrol car investigating a two-vehicle collision when she was struck just before 7:30 p.m. on southbound State Route 509 near milepost 2, south of the Port of Tacoma. Individuals on scene rendered aid, but the trooper ultimately succumbed to her injuries. The Tacoma Police Department (TPD) is taking over the investigation of the incident.
Trooper Guting, 29, began her career with the WSP as a trooper cadet in January 2024. She graduated with the 119th Trooper Basic Training Class, commissioning that same year on Oct. 30th. In that time, served in WSP District 1 in Tacoma.
Tara’s loss is deeply felt within the WSP family, and especially by her husband, Timothy, who himself serves as a Deputy State Fire Marshal at the WSP Fire Training Academy in North Bend.
Tara Guting was born on July 19, 1996, to Russell and Cheryl Hirata in Honolulu, Hawaii. She attended Mililani High School in Mililani, Hawaii, and graduated on May 25, 2014. She began a career of service by enlisting in the Army National Guard on Oct. 22, 2014, where she served honorably as a Signal Intelligence Analyst until Oct, 21, 2022. Her dedication to service and commitment to her duties were evident throughout her eight-year military career.
She married Timothy on Aug. 21, 2019, at the Fire Training Academy.
She answered her final call Friday night, marking the 34th time in WSP’s 105-year history that the agency lost one of its own in line of duty.
“My heartfelt condolences go out to Timothy, Tara’s extended family, her friends, her academy classmates, to District 1 Captain Gundermann, and his entire team,” said WSP Chief John R. Batiste. “We will never forget Badge #720 – Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting.
“The sky has poured rain on us all for the past two weeks… And with this loss, now tears flood our souls.”
