LAKEWOOD, Wash. — The woman who was shot and killed in a car traveling in Lakewood on Monday has been identified.
Lakewood police are investigating after 35-year-old Leslie Crossley was pronounced dead outside of a Holiday Inn Express on Pacific Highway Southwest.
Crossley is remembered by her family as funny, sarcastic and a good mother.
Lakewood officers were dispatched after multiple people reported shots fired in the 5100 block of Chicago Avenue Southwest. At the same time, a woman called 911 and said she was driving down Pacific Highway and her passenger had been shot. The woman pulled over outside the hotel to meet first responders. Police responded to both locations.
Officers arriving at the hotel found the vehicle and Crossley in the passenger seat with a gunshot wound. Medics attempted life-saving measures but she died from her injuries. The driver was uninjured.
Crossley's sister, Melissa Vetter, told KING 5 that her sister's last words still echo in her mind.
"She told me that 'You're my big sister and I look up to you,' and….I just keep hearing that over and over in my head," Vetter said.
Officers who arrived at the Chicago Avenue location found multiple shell casings in the roadway. Police confirmed Crossley was shot at that location.
Detectives are now investigating and working to find out the identity of the suspect or suspects involved in the shooting. They are still investigating potential motives and what led up to the incident. A police department spokesperson said they are still trying to find out whether the shooting was specifically targeted toward Crossley but that they do not believe the incident was completely random.
"One moment, we're ok, and the next, we're not," Vetter said. "The tears flow and you can't make them stop. The pain doesn't go away, you just have to learn to live with it, and to absorb it, and it's becoming a part of who we are."
Crossley is survived by her 15-year-old son.
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