Everett police officer shot: Dispatch audio released of how the incident unfolded
EVERETT, Wash. - A suspect is dead and an Everett Police officer is in the hospital following an early morning shooting on Wednesday.
Witnesses to the shooting, and audio from police scanners help piece together what happened. Here’s what we know:
Around 3 a.m., a robbery investigation began with a 911 call at a Safeway location in the 7600 block of Evergreen Way.
Shortly after, officers caught up with at least one person they believe is a suspect. They were about a mile up the road at a Fred Meyer gas station near a homeless encampment.
Not long after, the call over police scanners comes out: "Shots fired."
Little time passes before an officer reports: "I have an officer shot."
Lisa Mieugford was nearby at the time the events unfolded. She told FOX 13 that a man was quickly moving down the street on a scooter, and a nearby business owner captured the events on camera and confirmed that detail.
"We saw a cop car chasing after him," Mieugford said. "Then two other cop cars came and he whipped out a gun and just started shooting. He probably put off 6 to 9 shots – then cops started shooting at him, too."
An officer then tells dispatch: "Shots away, suspect is down." Immediately afterward, you hear an officer saying that they have "the officer victim" in the car. They’re driving to Providence Regional Medical Center by police cruiser rather than wait for an ambulance.
Everett police officer shot in head during robbery investigation; suspect dead
An Everett police officer was shot in the head and a suspect is dead following a robbery investigation early Wednesday morning. Authorities say three other robbery suspects remain at large.
According to Courtney O’Keefe, the public information officer for the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team (SMART) that responds to officer-involved shootings, the officers made the quick decision to transport the male officer immediately.
"Multiple shots were shot at the Everett Police officer inside his patrol cruiser," said O’Keefe, noting that it’s unclear whether the officer was still in the car, or in the process of getting out of the car when the shot that blew a hole in the driver side window struck.
At this point, the officer is en route to the hospital, though it’s unclear whether there are any other suspects. The initial 911 call for the previous robbery indicated a group of four people robbed someone a mile up the road. Only the gunman has been spotted.
"We’re all facing east, get one more unit with us," an officer says over the radio. "We can go up this [inaudible] and start rendering aide."
The officers eventually approach the gunman that was down across the street from where the officer was shot, however, he didn’t make it.
"It was loud and fast," said Mieugford. "The whole thing was crazy."
At the latest update from investigators, we’re told the Everett Police officer is stable. The severity of his injuries have not been relayed. That officer, a man, has not been identified publicly. It’s unknown whether he was grazed by the bullet – or if he suffered a more severe wound.