Man who police found injured outside Lacey hotel died of blunt force injury to his head

A 36-year-old Kenmore man who died earlier this week after an altercation outside a Lacey hotel has been identified by the Thurston County Coroner’s Office as Sean Shea.

Coroner Gary Warnock said Friday that Shea died from blunt force injury to his head, and that it was a homicide.

Police were originally called to the scene of a physical disturbance and found a man lying unconscious with head injuries in the parking lot behind a hotel in the 100 block of College Street Southeast.

Shea was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, where he later died from his injuries.

Witnesses reported seeing two men involved in the disturbance leave in a gray Toyota Camry with temporary license plates.

Lacey Police Sgt. Shannon Barnes said the department is still looking for witnesses and gathering statements. Anyone with information to share can call the Lacey Police Department at 360-459-4333 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

360-357-0201

Ty Vinson covers the City of Olympia and keeps tabs on Tumwater and other communities in Thurston County. He joined The Olympian in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at the Northwest Indiana Times, the Oregonian and the Arizona Republic as a Pulliam Fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription