Friends, neighbors pray for wounded Pierce Co deputies

EATONVILLE, Wash. -- With candles in hand, dozens of local residents gathered on Tuesday night to pray for the two Pierce County deputies who were shot at a home near Eatonville on Monday night.

Pierce County sheriff spokesman Ed Troyer said Deputy Kent Mundell and Sgt. Nick Hausner ran into trouble after responding to a domestic violence call.

Investigators said David E. Crable was concealing a gun in clothes he was holding and fired about 10 shots at the two deputies from just a few feet away. Mundell, 44, was hit multiple times, but managed to shoot back and kill Crable, Troyer said.

Dep. Kent Mundell

Sgt. Nick Hausner

Hausner has been upgraded to stable condition; however, Mundell remains in critical condition.

The news came as complete shock for David Steelsmith, who lives next door to Hausner.

"I hope that Nick comes through it. I understood that he was shot in the neck," he said.

After he learned of the shooting, Steelsmith stayed up for hours into the night, waiting for more news.

"We started picking up bits and pieces of information," he said.

Steelsmith wonders how something so awful could happen to such a giving person. Steelsmith, who recently lost his legs in his battle against diabetes, said his neighbor was always available to help, even with something as simple as washing the roof.

"He was up on his roof with a pressure washer. And soon we heard a ladder come up against our house, and he was up on our roof, doing our roof," he said. "He's really a selfless kind of guy."

Those who are close to Deputy Kent Mundell organized a vigil outside his favorite coffee shop in Eatonville. The organizers said Mundell and Hausner met at the coffee shop nearly every day.

"I'm praying for Kent up in Seattle, that he comes out OK," said one speaker at the vigil.

Mundell is married, and has a 16-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son. He has been with the department for almost 10 years.

Hausner, who joined the sheriff's office 20 years ago, was taken to Madigan Army Medical Center at Fort Lewis and is expected to survive. His wife, 14-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter were taken to be with him at the hospital.

Friends say Hausner served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

"Just doesn't make sense how these people are getting out and doing this to good people," said Michelle Frank.

"Something's wrong. That's eight cops in 60 days. Something's wrong," said Ken Carroll.

The deputies' families are by their sides. Steelsmith said Hausner may be well enough to go home on Thursday.