Local

Meth, heroin, cash found in trailer with bodies

THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — A quadruple shooting near Lacey left three people dead and a fourth injured.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS:

  • Woman, 2 men dead; bodies found in travel trailer
  • Man who survived called 911 early Wednesday
  • He was shot in stomach and is currently in hospital
  • Survivor under investigation for possible involvement

A woman and two men are dead. Another man, who called police, was injured.

The shooting occurred in a travel trailer in a mobile home park in the 500 block of Dutterow Road Southeast, east of Lacey.

Confused survivor called 911

Thurston County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Dave Pearsall said a man called 911 at 5:17 a.m. Wednesday saying his friends were dead, he was shot and he wasn't sure where he was.

"Our dispatch center was able to use his cellphone to determine the area he was in. Deputies showed up and found him in the driveway collapsed on the ground, obviously suffering from what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the abdomen area," said Pearsall.

The man was transported to Providence St. Peter's Hospital in Olympia with a gunshot would to the stomach. He is stable after undergoing surgery.

The Thurston County Sheriff's Office said the survivor is being investigated for possible involvement in the shootings.

Bodies found in small travel trailer

Officers searched the property and found three people dead in a travel trailer behind the main residence.

Steely Mcgrath, who came to the shooting scene, told KIRO 7 she believes her sister was among the three people killed in the overnight shooting at a rental home.

Detectives are at the scene and officers are searching the travel trailer.

"It's extremely rare that we have this kind of scene going on in this area," said Pearsall.

No one is in custody in connection with the shooting.

Owner of rental home says renters were "trouble makers"

Neighbor Jan Phipps told KIRO 7 that she and her boyfriend heard three shots coming from the property at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday and then saw one man in front of the victims’ house who never left the property.

Phipps said she never called police because the house is known for drugs and suspicious people coming in and out.

"We normally hear noises like that whether it's firecrackers or that type of thing," said Phipps.

Two rifles were discovered with the bodies, along with around half a pound of meth and some heroin. Investigators believe they have not found the murder weapon.

Officers are calling the meth amount "commercial." Several thousand dollars were recovered from the scene as well.

KIRO 7 also talked to the owner of the house who said a man named Ben Jackson rents it and lives there with his girlfriend.

The owner said they were trouble makers who were supposed to move out Wednesday due to complaints from neighbors and also because a friend of the owner, who cleans the house, found a BB gun on the property just a few days ago.

The owner said she confronted Jackson about it but he said it was only a BB gun and if she called police, nothing would happen.

The motive for the shootings or identity of the victims is not known.

Police are asking for the public to step forward if they have any information.