South Sound News

Fallen Pierce County sheriff's deputy honored with memorial

SPANAWAY, Wash. — One year after being killed in the line of duty, Pierce County Sheriff's Department Deputy Daniel McCartney was remembered by family, friends and fellow deputies at a ceremony on Tuesday.

McCartney’s three sons were joined Sheriff Paul Pastor to unveil a plaque that rests outside of Sheriff's the Department’s firing range – in McCartney’s honor.

“Dan was the first law enforcement officer to lose his life to adversarial action in the year 2018. There were 54 others who lost their lives similarly,” Pierce County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Paul Pastor said at the unveiling.

The 34-year-old McCartney was answering an armed robbery call at a home in the Frederickson area when he got into a gun battle with one of two suspects.

One suspect, Henry Garden, was killed in the exchange and the second suspect, 33 year-old-Frank Pawul, ambushed McCartney --- shooting and killing him.

Pawul pleaded guilty to aggravated first degree murder charges in August and was sentenced to life without parole or release.

Alleged accomplices Brenda Troyer and Samantha Jones are still awaiting trial.

At the ceremony, McCartney was remembered as a dedicated officer – and part of a law enforcement family by his uncle -- Butte County, California Sheriff Kory Honea -- who recalled McCartney first coming to him when he decided to enter law enforcement.

“There’s really no way to insulate yourself from the raw reality of the dangers when you talk about them in the abstract. Nothing prepares you for this,” Honea said.

At the bottom of the plaque is a motto that people at the ceremony said defined McCartney as a law enforcement officer with three simple words: “Just keep moving.”

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