Arlington sniper found dead

BY Chris Sullivan  on September 3, 2012 @ 7:18 am (Updated: 10:22 am - 9/3/12 )

Residents in a neighborhood five miles outside of Arlington were evacuated from their homes for about ten hours Sunday as police hunted a man who was firing shots at passing cars and people.

The first shot was fired about 1:30 p.m. on September 2. A man standing in his driveway on Jim Creek Road northeast of Arlington was hit in the leg. Police were called immediately, and Lieutenant Steve Dittoe, with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, said deputies knew they had something unique on their hands.

"Immediately officers understood there was somebody in the woods shooting at either vehicles or people in the area," said Dittoe. "So we initiated a SWAT team call out."

But the SWAT team soon became a target.

"Immediately after our SWAT team came on the scene, then we came under fire," Lieutenant Dittoe said, "including our armored vehicle."

Because there were so many shots that seemed to be coming from multiple directions, deputies thought they might have more than one shooter. After several hours trying to get close to the shooter, the SWAT team found him.

Bill Gillam caught the police communication on his scanner. He shared it with KING-5 news.

Listen to Arlington Sniper shot by police

The Sheriff's Office won't confirm that the SWAT team killed the man, though it sounds from the audio that sharpshooters took him down. Officials will only say the man was found dead in the woods.

Michael Cooper lives near where the shooter was found dead. Most of the neighborhood was evacuated, but he says that it was terrifying to stay and hear the shooting in his neighborhood for so long.

"I didn't like the high-powered rifle shooting," he said, "I'd walk out into my yard and listen to hear if any bullets were coming by. It sounded like it was right in my backyard."

Originally, the police were searching in the woods to see if there might be a second shooter. They considered this possibility because of the number of shots fired in multiple directions. However, as of Monday morning, the search for a second suspect was called off.

Police are still not sure what led the man to shoot random targets. Neither the man's name, nor his description has been released.

There haven't been any more shots fired since the suspect was found dead.

The man who was shot in the leg early in the day is expected to recover.

Chris Sullivan, KIRO Radio Reporter
Chris loves the rush of covering breaking news and works hard to try to make sense of it all while telling stories about real people in extraordinary circumstances.
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Comments (6)


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  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    QUOTE: "I didn't like the high-powered rifle shooting," he said, "I'd walk out into my yard and listen to hear if any bullets were coming by
    September 3, 2012 9:51 am
    Yeah...that's the "smart" thing to do. Some people have no common sense.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • O-town listener wrote...
    definately jumped out to me too
    September 3, 2012 12:47 pm
    wow.. lot's of shooting in the neighborhood, let's go outside and look around.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • RonJ wrote...
    High Powered Rifle...
    September 3, 2012 8:14 pm
    is there such a thing as a low powered rifle?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Steamboat wrote...
    High Powered Rifle
    September 4, 2012 6:00 am
    Yes, a .22 could be considered a high powered rifle.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Steamboat wrote...
    rural shooting
    September 3, 2012 7:13 pm
    Actually I live in rural Thurston county and gun fire in the area is very normal, usually on a daily basis. Sometimes from me. I don't even think about it when I'm out working in the yard and hear repeated gun fire. I actually like knowing that my neighbors are armed and able to protect their property. Lets just say we don't have many break ins in this area.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Steamboat wrote...
    rural shooting
    September 3, 2012 7:16 pm
    Oh yah, Shhhhh, don't tell the liberals that a area with heavy gun ownership has a low crime rate. They won't believe it and their heads might explode from the notion.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }