Bainbridge Island officer may have succumbed to coronavirus

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. — Bainbridge Island is mourning the death of a decorated police officer who was hospitalized after showing symptoms of the coronavirus.

The five-year veteran was just 49 years old.

The flags are at half-staff in this island city where one of their own, a highly regarded police officer, likely succumbed to the coronavirus still on a deadly march across the globe.

It is as though the grief encircling the world found its way into the heart of Bainbridge Island.

“He was everywhere,” said Karen Noury, a seven-year Bainbridge Island resident. “I feel like I just saw him the other day.”

Noury brought her three children to pay respects to Bainbridge Island police Officer Kurt Enget.

“It’s really sad, yeah,” she said. “It’s a little community. And I think he was a big part of it.”

He shared that role with Whitney, the bloodhound, sworn in as his K-9 in a ceremony at City Hall last May, a day of pride for this South Kitsap High School graduate who became a police officer later in life.

“His work with Whitney was a great fit,” said Bainbridge Island city manager Morgan Smith.

She remembered the five-year veteran as an officer who left his mark.

“He was a big presence,” said Smith. “He was somebody who was at the center of things.”

The last day Enget worked was March 27. Just nine days later, he was hospitalized at Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton showing symptoms of COVID-19.

His condition took a sudden turn and he died early on Good Friday morning.

Still in the dark of a new day, dozens of officers from across Kitsap County escorted Enget’s body to the coroner who will determine the official cause of death.

His unexpected passing leaving in its wake, a terrible sadness.

“He was everybody’s friend,” said Interim Police Chief Scott Weiss. “He will be sorely missed.”

There will be no public ceremony, just yet, to honor Officer Enget because of the governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order.

The Kitsap County coroner may be able to say definitively Monday if Enget succumbed to the coronavirus.

Enget received nine commendations during his service with the Bainbridge Island Police Department.

“Kurt was a very important member of our team, known by so many in our community, including those at the dog park where he often brought K-9 Whitney,” Interim Police Chief Scott Weiss said. “He was a friendly and caring officer who embodied what it means to be a member of the Bainbridge Island Police Department. He was an irreplaceable colleague, dedicated to service to the entire community, and we will miss him greatly.”

A fund has been set up by the Bainbridge Island Police Guild to help Enget’s family.

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