News

Shooting suspect shot after wild chase

MUKILTEO, Wash. — A shooting suspect was shot and taken into custody Sunday afternoon after a pursuit from Camano Island to Mukilteo.

Police said the 34-year-old man was suspected of shooting another man in the neck and a woman in the arm at around 3:30 p.m. on Camano Island.

The two victims, taken from the 500 block of Michelle Drive, were treated at Skagit Valley Hospital. The woman was later released. As of 11 p.m. Sunday, the 44-year-old man was still at the hospital.

Sgt. Mark Marsh, with the Edmonds Police Department, said that the suspect likely knew his victims. The exact relationship is unknown.

After the suspect fled the scene, a trooper with the Washington State Patrol spotted the suspect’s Toyota on state Route 532. Washington State Patrol and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office began pursuing him.

The suspect continued south on I-5, traveling at almost 100 mph before exiting at state Route 526, according to the Snohomish County Multi-Agency Response Team. Everett police then joined the chase.

At about 4 p.m., the suspect lost control of his car and went off the road near 88th Street Southwest and 53rd Avenue West.

Four people were involved eventually shooting the suspect: a state trooper who has been with the Washington State Patrol for two and a half years, one Snohomish County deputy who has been with the department 21 years, another deputy with 16 years of experience, and an Everett police officer who has been with the agency 17 years.

The suspect was shot and taken to Harborview Medical Center. His condition is unknown.

Sgt. Marsh confirmed that the suspect had called 911 dispatchers during the chase, saying that he had shot people.

“We have been told that he made those comments to the dispatchers, and certainly that’s going to be a very important part of the investigation. But he knew the officers were behind him,” Marsh said.

As of 11 p.m. Sunday, investigators were still looking at evidence at the Mukilteo scene, an effort made more difficult by strong wind and rain.

Other investigators were trying to interview the suspect at Harborview Medical Center.

Residents in the quiet neighborhood around the crime scene were stunned.

“Whoever was running from the police didn’t know the area very well. Otherwise he wouldn’t have come down this way,” said John Huff, referring to the neighborhood’s many dead ends.

Huff directed traffic for hours after the crime tape went up. Many of his neighbors were turned away from their own homes.

Some finding skid marks on their sidewalks saw their block had become part of the crime scene.

Mary Norman was in a car at the time of the chase and found herself in the middle of it.

“Probably 20 more cop cars came flying down the road. I mean, they were just turning every direction, and flying down every road: turning around, pulling U-ies, and it was scary. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Norman said.

She immediately became worried a crash might happen with other cars going by. She also thought of her children at home, just a few blocks away.

“I told them to lock the doors and not get in the car,” she said.

Norman’s other daughter, Makayla Norman, happened to be in a different car, going by at the same moment.

“We kind of heard gunshots and what we thought was the guy shooting at [officers]. We weren’t sure if it was the guy or the cops, but it was just gunshots like, a hundred feet away from us,” Makayla said.

She added the suspect’s car windows seemed tinted. She saw his window partially open.

“We’re just so in shock of everything that was happening. We weren’t expecting that,” Makayla said.