Man shot, killed by officers responding to domestic violence assault and standoff in Sequim

SEQUIM, Wash. - A man was shot and killed by SWAT officers after he allegedly fired at them following an hours-long standoff in Sequim.

Deputies with the Clallam County Sheriff's Office were called to a home on Priest Lane around 2 a.m. on Sept. 22 for a report of a domestic violence assault where a man hit his girlfriend over the head with an axe. 

The woman was treated and released from the hospital with non-life-threatening wounds.

Deputies said they tried to contact the man in question, but he was holed up inside a shop that also served as a residence on Priest Lane. 

A single gunshot came from inside the shop, so deputies set up a perimeter around the building and called in backup from other agencies. Detectives with the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET)  and crisis negotiators with the Sequim Police Department responded. The Washington State Patrol SWAT team also responded.

Over the course of several hours, law enforcement continued to try and negotiate with the man inside the shop. During that time, they heard multiple gun shots. Some rounds were fired in the direction of law enforcement, according to the Clallam County Sheriff's Office. 

Neighboring residences were evacuated as a precaution and Priest Lane was shut down. 

Eventually, the suspect came out of the shop and fired at SWAT officers, the Clallam County Sheriff's Office said.  SWAT officers fired back, hitting the man. 

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Medics provided first aid but the man died from his wounds. 

The incident is being investigated independently by the Kitsap County Critical Incident Response Team (KCIRT).