Zoya called 911 at approximately 8:41 a.m., reporting a protection order violation and saying Aleksandr was harassing her. But the order was not valid, according to Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank, because it had not been served when it was issued 10 months earlier.
Swank spoke at a community meeting March 21, saying the incident was under investigation by an outside agency. He did not know why the order had not been served.
Deputies were dispatched to retrieve and physically serve the order and to make an arrest, if it was then violated.
Multiple witness calls reported the stabbings at approximately 9:30 a.m. A single deputy prepositioned nearby to assist in serving the order arrived and reported shooting the assailant at 9:33.
On March 27, the Pierce County Force Investigation Team identified the deputy who fired the fatal shots as Carl Shanks, 57, a 25-year veteran of the sheriff’s department.
KP News requested copies of all communications related to the incident to reconstruct the PCSD response. That request was denied by South Sound 911, which said, “The documents you have requested are part of an active investigation and are exempt from disclosure pursuant to RCW 42.56.240(1).”
KING 5 News reported that the mother of the assailant had “filed multiple protective orders against her adult son,” who suffered from mental illness. Aleksandr did not live at his mother’s residence. Family members later reported that he had no fixed abode.
Protective orders are a type of restraining order used in cases of domestic violence or abuse where the abuser has a personal relationship with the victim.
The three slain bystanders were well-known in Gig Harbor.
Brandani and Killilea were longtime volunteers serving on the Gig Harbor Arts Commission.
Gig Harbor Mayor Mary Barber issued a statement saying, in part, “This loss is one that our whole community feels and leaves a void that reflects the depth of their service. These women were mentors, neighbors, and friends whose kindness and steady leadership made a meaningful difference.”
Talley was a volunteer with Visit Gig Harbor, the tourism arm of the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce, and an active member of her church.
In a March 3 statement to local news outlets, Robert Knowles, a member of the extended Shablykin family, wrote:
“We want the public to understand that the person who committed these acts was not the man we knew. Aleksandr was a man lost to a battle with bipolar disorder who had tragically ceased his medication shortly before this event. While we struggle with the horror of his actions, we must also highlight the profound gaps in our current systems.”
KPFD Public Information Officer Anne Nesbit, who responded to the scene, told KP News, “This is something that affects the entire community and shocks everyone, regardless of how close to it you are. This is a tragedy, and we should be mindful of the victims, the deputy involved, and the other responders there. It’s not a time for criticism, but a time to come together and support each other.”
Many in the KP community are still recovering from a Jan. 27 incident when a 24-year-old man with addiction issues shot and killed his mother, the family dog, and himself in Vaughn.
Residents of Herron Island are similarly coming to grips with a stabbing double murder there discovered by deputies Dec. 11, 2025. The suspect was arrested the next day and is awaiting trial without bail. He was experiencing mental health issues.
Also in Wauna in 2012, three men were shot, and one died, at the former Lake Kathryn Food Market when a 20-year-old woman entered and began firing at males. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was committed indefinitely to Western State Hospital, where she remains.
A vigil for the victims of the recent violence on the Key Peninsula was held at the Purdy intersection March 7. It was organized by KP residents Pamela Cumbie and Rachel Pittman-Ostoyich, and led by Pastor Dan Whitmarsh of Lakebay Community Church, with the permission of the Local Boys store owner, Trevor Jones.
About 25 or 30 people braved a cold wind coming off Henderson Bay as Whitmarsh spoke of the lives lost, the grief that remains, and the necessity of community to endure it.
“In our pain and in our sorrow, it is easy to give in to fear, in to anger,” he said. “It is natural to want to build thicker walls to keep ourselves safe. … (But) there is no one else here to solve these issues. There is only us, and it is our work to do.”
A GoFundMe account has been established for Zoya's family, including her daughter and granddaughter, at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-anna-anastasia-after-tragic-loss
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