'We were like sitting ducks just out there walking around'
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ARLINGTON, Wash. - Neighbors next to a chaotic shooting scene were being allowed back in their homes Monday morning after a tense armed standoff and search for a gunman who shot a passerby and fired upon police and SWAT officers in a rural area outside of Arlington Sunday.
Police say officers later found the gunman shot to death. A weapon was found on the gunman's body and investigators haven't said yet if he died from police fire.
The drama began at about 1:30 p.m. when a 26-year-old man who lives in the area thought he heard gunshots or fireworks. He hustled his kids inside the house then went to investigate with his father.
The father and son heard another bullet whistle through the branches of a nearby tree, then the son realized he had been shot in the calf.
"And then my son reached down, kind of slapped his leg, didn't even realize the bullet went through the calf of his leg," said the victim's father, who didn't want to be identified. "And then he hollers, 'I got shot!' "
They ran home and called 911.
Deputies responded to the scene, and then they also came under fire. One patrol car was reportedly hit, but no officers were injured.
A SWAT team soon arrived at the scene, about a mile off Highway 530 near Jim Creek Road, and SWAT team officers reported multiple gunshot hits on their armored vehicle.
Police units reportedly then came under fire from different types of weapons, including a high-powered rifle, leading them to believe that there could be more than one shooter. But Monday, investigators say they now believe there was only one.
As the gun battle stretched through most of the afternoon, more armored vehicles were requested from other jurisdictions as far away as Seattle and Whatcom County as a police helicopter circled the scene.
Police evacuated some residents who lived near the standoff and told others to stay in their homes. The standoff left about 100 campers at a private campground trapped inside police lines.
"I've got my daughter, sister and all her little ones (stuck at the campground)," said Chris Berg. "I'm nervous as hell right now."
Other drivers had to dodge the gunfire too. Tabitha Spoiala says a bullet went through the boat they were trailing.
"It went right in through there, on that side of the boat, and then it went through the cooler," she said.
At the height of the standoff, scanner reports from the scene sounded like a war zone, with multiple police and sheriff units coordinating and positioning themselves strategically. Eventually police were able to pinpoint the location of a suspected shooter, and later found his body.
It's unclear what motivated the gunman to shoot random people and cars. Some neighbors say they've heard gunfire before, but no one had ever been targeted.
"We were pretty lucky," the victim's father said. "We were like sitting ducks out there just walking around."
The 26-year-old man who was shot in the calf at the beginning of the incident was taken to Cascade Hospital in Arlington, where he was treated and released.
Police say officers later found the gunman shot to death. A weapon was found on the gunman's body and investigators haven't said yet if he died from police fire.
The drama began at about 1:30 p.m. when a 26-year-old man who lives in the area thought he heard gunshots or fireworks. He hustled his kids inside the house then went to investigate with his father.
The father and son heard another bullet whistle through the branches of a nearby tree, then the son realized he had been shot in the calf.
"And then my son reached down, kind of slapped his leg, didn't even realize the bullet went through the calf of his leg," said the victim's father, who didn't want to be identified. "And then he hollers, 'I got shot!' "
They ran home and called 911.
Deputies responded to the scene, and then they also came under fire. One patrol car was reportedly hit, but no officers were injured.
A SWAT team soon arrived at the scene, about a mile off Highway 530 near Jim Creek Road, and SWAT team officers reported multiple gunshot hits on their armored vehicle.
Police units reportedly then came under fire from different types of weapons, including a high-powered rifle, leading them to believe that there could be more than one shooter. But Monday, investigators say they now believe there was only one.
As the gun battle stretched through most of the afternoon, more armored vehicles were requested from other jurisdictions as far away as Seattle and Whatcom County as a police helicopter circled the scene.
Police evacuated some residents who lived near the standoff and told others to stay in their homes. The standoff left about 100 campers at a private campground trapped inside police lines.
"I've got my daughter, sister and all her little ones (stuck at the campground)," said Chris Berg. "I'm nervous as hell right now."
Other drivers had to dodge the gunfire too. Tabitha Spoiala says a bullet went through the boat they were trailing.
"It went right in through there, on that side of the boat, and then it went through the cooler," she said.
At the height of the standoff, scanner reports from the scene sounded like a war zone, with multiple police and sheriff units coordinating and positioning themselves strategically. Eventually police were able to pinpoint the location of a suspected shooter, and later found his body.
It's unclear what motivated the gunman to shoot random people and cars. Some neighbors say they've heard gunfire before, but no one had ever been targeted.
"We were pretty lucky," the victim's father said. "We were like sitting ducks out there just walking around."
The 26-year-old man who was shot in the calf at the beginning of the incident was taken to Cascade Hospital in Arlington, where he was treated and released.
This country is just going to hell in a handbasket.
 Highway 530 and Jim Creek Road is on the way to Darrington.  Has that cool old school building on the highway.  I take Jim Creek Rd as a diversion occasionally on my motorcycle.  Nice area.  Anyway, no word in the article about whether the SWAT team fired anything.  Must have if they are wondering could it have been them.
What is the history of the gunman?
Now we trot out the friends, neighbors, and ex's. Because everyone was a better person once they are dead.
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 I don't care if the guy saved Mother Theresa from the deadly jaws of rabid alligators! If he opened fire like this on innocent people then he is a class A nutjob, and deserved to be killed - and fast. It sucks - but there it is.Â
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I am sure there will be people that will mourn his loss - after yesterday - I am not one of them.
Yeah glad they shot the ******* dead! Clearly the creep had no reason to live! I've really had a thing against this sort of thing ever since my uncle was paralized by the Bellingham sniper back in '96!
Suicide by Cop? If so, why shoot at so many innocent people. Over now and glad no innocent peopler were seriously injured. Good work officers!
Poor misunderstood guy. Maybe all he needed was a friend, or a hug. Couldn't someone just have walked up and tried to talk to him? Now he's been deprived of a lifetime of free meals, lodging, medical care, cable tv and a fully equipped gym.Â
@bagsofdirt love it!
Kinda quiet from the Occupy crowd. Are all the anarchist cop-haters sleeping in today or something?
 @thatsjarrod Seriously weak troll. Too small and sickly - we're throwing it back!
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 @thatsjarrod no they aren't.... You: Exhibit A
 @thatsjarrod Mom must not have made them breakfast yet. I have yet to see a 30 year old on a skateboard today so they must still be asleep.Â
One of my coworkers lives off of that road.  The discussion around the coffee pot is sure to be fierce.Â
Man.....it sound like we are living in Afghan or Iraq something these days !
 @scychan Not even close.
thank you. NOT even close. one whacko with a gun and suddenly it's Iraq. Sheesh.
Daaaamn! Such a subdued ending to this SERIOUSLY tense situation. When they were talking about bringing in other counties' armored vehicles and everything was hopping I was thinking it wouldn't be long til they drove through the wall of the house or something. Depending on how seriously they are considering a scenario with a second shooter, they may be regretting not pulling a power move like that in hindsight. Obviously, they spent the night out there with K-9 scans of the area, but it seems to be an area with a lot of foot traffic in those nearby woods. Too many scent trails to track effectively, and some of those obviously are going to be just normal users of the woods once you get some distance from the house. Good containment of the situation, other than the big unknown of another culprit.
Hopefully some follow-up to this major story will provide a heck of lot more details on the shooter than this piece did.
 @DualLeads Probably: Mentally ill, kept to himself, loved guns, family tried to get him help, blah, blah, blah. He's dead. That's all I really care about.
@Illuminati Would not be surprised, especially about the blah-blah-part...
 @DualLeads With ya, I want to know way more about this, if it's possible..Â
I love the headline, but seriously folks with all the hype on guns and gun sales, and the recent uptick in gun violence, we are all pretty much sitting ducks the minute we walk out our door each day.
Yup! Ironically, nobody hype's and monitors the sales of cars and liquor when DUI fatalities plague the U.S. Furthermore, what about the uptick in knife violence in the greater Seattle area? I'll side with the anti-gun nuts to ban all firearms in this country if they also agree to ban cars, knives and anything that may be used as a weapon to seriously maim or kill another person. Oh, snap! Then that means we would have to ban humans.
Ban nail clippers! Toothpicks!
 @cawlnaduckaduck Cars weren't designed to kill people as efficiently as possible, can't be concealed, and have a purpose that isn't killing. The discussion is access to guns, when you are ready to have it we will all be here.Â
National statistics have shown that violent crime, such as above, is on a downward trend. It may not seem so because we live in a time when information can be literally had in the palms of our hands within seconds. Access to firearms should not be an issue as much as the inefficiencies of our weak justice system.
I am glad that they got the shooter and thank God no one was seriously hurt or killed. I just wonder if there isn't another shooter? That area is very wooded and easy to hide. Very scary for the folks living and camping in that area. Great work done by the sheriffs and SWAT team!!! Â
another day in the "other" washington....glad nobody was seriously injured. well, other than the ya-hoo a-shootin'.
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git yerself out the city 'bout an hour and y'all ain't in Kansas anymore.
 @SwampThing Actually you ARE in Kansas then - that's kinda the problem....