CLEARVIEW — A Snohomish man suffered life-threatening injuries after he fired at a Washington State Patrol trooper who returned fire Monday night in the Clearview area, according to detectives.
The shooting shut down Highway 9 for hours and prompted an outside investigation.
Just after 7:30 p.m., a state trooper stopped a speeding driver, who was alone in a car in the 17600 block of Highway 9, according to a press release sent Tuesday afternoon by the Valley Independent Investigative Team.
At 7:46 p.m., the driver, 27, allegedly fired a shotgun at the trooper from short range. The trooper who made the stop and another trooper shot the driver, according to the VIIT.
The Snohomish man reportedly refused to put the shotgun down. He continued to move around inside his car, resulting in a “prolonged barricaded subject situation,” according to the press release.
Just after 11:30 p.m., Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies were able to take the man into custody. The driver was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Neither trooper was seriously injured, according to investigators.
Traffic on Highway 9 was detoured between 176th and 180th streets SE into the morning hours. It opened just before 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Typically, the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team, a cadre of detectives known as SMART, investigates police use of force incidents in the county. But in this case, the Valley Independent Investigative Team, made up of south King County police agencies, was handling the inquiry because several Snohomish County and state agencies were involved.
Just before 3 p.m. Tuesday, the team released the first official report of the night’s events.
VIIT detectives were seeking information from people who witnessed the encounter. Witnesses can contact detective Jason Renggli at jrenggli@rentonwa.gov or 425-430-7525.
Herald writer Ben Watanabe contributed to this report.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.
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