Police in Enumclaw are crediting their Flock camera system for helping locate a man accused of killing five people in Forest Grove, Oregon.
36-year-old Benjamin Charles Parker was found dead inside a stolen vehicle behind a Safeway store in Enumclaw. Authorities believe Benjamin Charles Parker died by suicide.
Enumclaw police located Parker after the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon notified local officers that his cell phone had pinged in the area.
Officers used the license plate reader camera system to track down the vehicle, which had been stolen from one of the victims in Oregon.
The controversial camera system has drawn criticism from some who worry the technology can be misused and is an invasion of privacy.
Parker is suspected of killing five people whose bodies were discovered – along with four dead pets - on rural property in Forest Grove, Oregon. Records show Parker is connected to the property, but his relationship to the victims is unknown.
Investigators have yet to identify the five Oregon residents who were killed or a possible motive.
Flock system data showed multiple hits of the car entering town on Saturday night with no records of it leaving.
“We determined that the last hit was him coming into town and we had not had another hit of him going out of town,” Enumclaw Police Chief Tim Floyd said. “It gave us a good indication that he was still in the city, so our officers deployed around town to start looking for his vehicle.”
Officers located the stolen car parked behind the Safeway and deployed a drone to verify that someone was inside.
Police surrounded the vehicle with weapons drawn and initiated a surrounding call out.
“After about 30 minutes with no movement, no response from him, officers approached again with the use of a ballistic shield,” Floyd said.
Officers placed spike strips under the car’s tires as a precaution.
When police opened the vehicle door, they found Parker slumped face down with a handgun. Investigators recovered the gun and electronic devices from inside the vehicle.
Floyd noted that Oregon law enforcement continues to lead the homicide investigation.
“As far as finding out or narrowing down the relationship, the motivation, time will tell,” Floyd said. “I’m not sure what their leads are.”
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families and the victims down there,” he added.