Puyallup, Washington — A 36-year-old Washington state man is facing serious criminal charges after an alarming domestic dispute escalated into an alleged murder attempt inside his family’s backyard swimming pool, ending only when responding officers opened fire.
Brandon Michael Holland now faces one count each of second-degree attempted murder and burglary, along with two counts each of assault and violating a court order — a night that began over something as ordinary as the sound of a vacuum cleaner.
The incident unfolded on the evening of June 5 at the family residence on 4th Avenue NW in Puyallup, a city located roughly 10 miles southeast of Tacoma. Holland had reportedly been removed from a friend’s home earlier that day and returned to his family’s house despite an active no-contact court order prohibiting him from being there.
Around 7 p.m., his sister was vacuuming while Holland rested in their mother’s bed, which is positioned in the living room for medical purposes. The noise from the vacuum reportedly irritated Holland, triggering a heated confrontation after family members asked him to leave the bed.
When his sister announced she was calling 911 and stepped outside near the pool, Holland allegedly told his mother he would kill her instead. He then charged at her, and both fell into the water. According to investigators, Holland allegedly held his sister underwater for stretches of 10 to 20 seconds before she managed to push herself off the pool floor to breathe.
Their father intervened physically, allowing the sister to flee to a neighbor’s home and contact emergency services. Holland allegedly pursued her on foot, shouting threats, before a neighbor physically blocked his path.
Holland then returned to the family home, allegedly smashing a door window with a metal baton from his vehicle. When Officer Zion Gregory, 29, arrived and ordered Holland to drop the weapon, the defendant allegedly advanced and demanded the officer shoot him. Officers ultimately did fire.
The investigation is being conducted by the Tacoma Police Department.
