Seattle officer hailed as a hero

By KOMO & seattlepi.com Staff

Summary

A Seattle officer is being hailed as a hero for his actions early Tuesday morning, in which he single-handedly shot and killed Maurice Clemmons, the man wanted in Sunday's killings of four Pierce County officers.

Story Published: Dec 1, 2009 at 1:45 PM PST

Story Updated: Dec 1, 2009 at 11:34 PM PST

Seattle officer hailed as a hero
A Seattle officer is being hailed as a hero for his actions early Tuesday morning, in which he single-handedly shot and killed Maurice Clemmons, the man wanted in Sunday's killings of four Pierce County officers.

After an intense, two-day manhunt for Clemmons, the officer had stopped to check out a stolen car parked on the side of a road in Rainier Valley. Clemmons was outside the car. The officer recognized him from police bulletins and ordered him to put up his hands, police said. When he refused, the officer shot Clemmons.

"It was incredible police work. He's an incredible officer. He is nothing short of a hero, although he would bristle at being called that," said Rich O'Neill, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild.

"I told him, 'You caught the suspect responsible for the worst police massacre in Washington state history. You need to take a deep breath and soak that in.' "

Fellow officers also said the officer is a private person and dedicated officer. Earlier this year, a colleague nominated him for an award at the eighth annual Seattle Police Awards Banquet. Additional details were not immediately available.

Because the officer was described as a very private person by those close to him, KOMO News has chosen not to identify him.

A four-year veteran of the Seattle Police Department, the officer is a third-watch patrol officer in the South Precinct. He was placed on administrative leave following the early morning shooting, which is standard procedure.

"He was alone, and was confronted by this guy, and knew it was him," O'Neill said. "(Clemmons) wouldn't put his hands out, and to later find that he had the dead officer's gun on his person, one can only assume what he was approaching (the officer) for."

The pistol Clemmons had matched the serial number of a gun that belonged to one of officers slain at the Lakewood coffee shop.

Some Seattle police said Tuesday they believed the South Seattle incident may have been an attempted ambush by Clemmons - a man who had told acquaintences he would hurt cops.

O'Neill said the fatal shooting capped weeks of turmoil among officers, who were already mourning the death of Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton, who was killed while sitting in his patrol car on Halloween night.

"It's been such a roller coaster of emotions for the last six weeks," O'Neill said.

"Right now, officers can start the grieving process. Because when you're looking for a killer, you really don't feel you can exhale and start to grieve. Now that it's over, everyone can start honoring the officers in Lakewood."

Content courtesy our media partner seattlepi.com.

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