Body Camera Footage Reveals Police Contact With Gig Harbor Stabbing Suspect Hours Before Fatal Attack

New video shows Orting police discussed Aleksandr Shablykin's mental health just twelve hours before the fatal Key Peninsula stabbings.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 4, 2026, 10:07 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from The Seattle Times

The Discovery of Preceding Police Contact

The investigation into a horrific mass stabbing near Gig Harbor has taken a critical turn with the release of body camera footage from the night prior to the killings. According to records obtained by the media, officers from the Orting Police Department arrived at the home of Aleksandr Shablykin’s sister approximately twelve hours before the fatal events unfolded. The footage captures a detailed conversation regarding the suspect’s volatile mental health, providing a haunting window into the hours leading up to the tragedy that claimed four lives, including the suspect’s own mother.

Assessing Mental State in Orting

During the encounter in Orting, family members expressed clear concerns about Shablykin’s stability and potential for violence. The police presence at the residence was specifically prompted by a call regarding his behavior, yet the interaction did not result in a custodial hold or an emergency psychiatric evaluation at that time. Law enforcement officials were seen on video discussing the complexities of the suspect's psychological condition with his sister, illustrating the difficult and often fatal gap between identifying a mental health crisis and taking preventative legal action.

The Timeline of a Preventable Tragedy

The chronological gap between the police visit in Orting and the subsequent violence near Gig Harbor is now under intense scrutiny by investigators and the public alike. Following the initial contact, Shablykin allegedly traveled to the Key Peninsula area where the mass stabbing occurred on February 24. The transition from a domestic disturbance call to a quadruple homicide and subsequent police shooting highlights the rapid escalation of the suspect's actions within a half day window.