Two people dead in Yelm standoff involving SWAT, bomb squad
May 22, 2024, 8:03 AM
Law enforcement during the aftermath of the Yelm standoff. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
A long police standoff in Yelm ended with two people dead Tuesday night, and now law enforcement is claiming the standoff could be related to a death investigation at an adjacent property.
Early Tuesday morning, firefighters were called to an RV fire near 103rd Avenue and Old McKenna Road. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office was promptly called once firefighters discovered what they thought could have been a body.
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When Thurston County Sheriff deputies and detectives arrived, their investigation led to a locked travel trailer on an adjacent property with two people inside, according to KIRO 7. Deputies were able to get one person out while an armed man remained inside.
Law enforcement negotiated with the armed suspect for several hours but were not able to get him to surrender. SWAT and the Washington State Patrol Bomb Squad were both asked to be called in to help, but the suspect eventually took his own life.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office believes there is a connection between their death investigation and the standoff.
“They may have known each other in some way,” a Thurston County deputy told KIRO 7. “I don’t know how well they knew each other at this time.”
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The investigation remains ongoing.
This is a developing story, check back for updates
Contributing: KIRO 7
Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.
