How Enumclaw, WA police found Oregon 5-person homicide suspect
Suspect in Oregon 5-person homicide found dead in Enumclaw, WA
Authorities in Enumclaw tracked down a suspected multiple-homicide gunman Sunday night before he was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound behind an Enumclaw grocery store.
ENUMCLAW, Wash. - Authorities in Enumclaw tracked down a suspected multiple-homicide gunman Sunday night before he was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound behind an Enumclaw grocery store.
Investigators in Oregon identified the suspect as 36-year-old Benjamin Charles Parker. Parker was wanted in connection with a homicide investigation in Washington County, Oregon, where five people and several domestic animals were found dead. Authorities said Parker also stole a vehicle belonging to one of the victims.
Cell phone ping, automated cameras spot suspect
The Enumclaw Police Department was alerted Sunday evening when the Washington County Sheriff's Office detected a cell phone ping from Parker in Enumclaw, located more than three hours away from the crime scene.
Enumclaw officers utilized the department's Flock automated license plate reader cameras to locate the stolen vehicle.
"He had hit our cameras multiple times," Enumclaw Police Chief Tim Floyd said. "He came through our city, came back into the city, left the city."
Officers eventually located the stolen car parked behind a local Safeway.
Law enforcement surrounds vehicle in Enumclaw, WA
Deputies with the King County Sheriff’s Office and troopers with the Washington State Patrol assisted Enumclaw police in surrounding the vehicle.
After deploying a drone and placing stop sticks around the car, law enforcement personnel approached the vehicle.
"They were able to open the door and could see he had a gun in his hand, but he appeared to be deceased, and he was face down at the time," Floyd said.
Investigators believe Parker died by suicide. His motive for targeting the five victims in Oregon and his reasons for traveling to Enumclaw remain unknown.
"I don’t know what his destination was, and he had some contact with, I believe, his mother in Oregon and had made an indication to her that he was going to commit suicide," Floyd said.
(FOX 13 Seattle)
License plate readers played key role in tracking
The incident highlighted the role of automated license plate readers in law enforcement operations. Enumclaw's Flock camera system went live two months ago, and Chief Floyd noted that Sunday's response marked the third major incident the technology has helped resolve.
"It’s one of the greatest resources that law enforcement has seen in decades," Floyd said, adding that despite public debate surrounding the technology, the town's eight cameras function like having eight additional officers on patrol.
Floyd emphasized that there is no ongoing danger to the Enumclaw community. The Washington County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the Oregon homicides and asks anyone with information to contact law enforcement.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Shirah Matsuzawa.