A Washington state trooper shot and killed a man with a hammer who had attacked state Department of Transportation workers along Interstate 5 north of Seattle. The incident occurred around 4 p.m. Thursday when state patrol troopers responded to a road rage incident on the shoulder of I-5 northbound in Everett. The driver of a vehicle started ramming a Department of Transportation contractor vehicle that had a lift operating over a slough with two contractors on board. The driver, who was armed with a hammer, had an altercation with the workers and a trooper, leading to the fatal shooting.
The Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team, which investigates police use of force incidents, is currently looking into the details of the shooting. The news release did not provide the names of the trooper or the person who was shot and killed, as the investigation is still ongoing. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office is expected to confirm the driver’s identity as well as the cause and manner of death. One of the Department of Transportation contract workers was injured in the incident but is expected to survive.
Although the exact circumstances that led to the shooting are still unclear, it is known that the trooper fatally shot the driver during the altercation. It is unclear how many shots were fired or why the driver allegedly began ramming the vehicle of the Department of Transportation contractors. The incident caused a major traffic backup for miles and lasted well into the night, disrupting the flow of traffic along Interstate 5 north of Seattle.
Law enforcement officials have not released any further details about the shooting or the events leading up to it. The investigation by the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team will likely shed more light on the incident as more information becomes available. The shooting highlights the risks that law enforcement officers face in responding to dangerous situations on the roads, as they work to protect both themselves and the public from harm. The community will be eagerly awaiting the results of the investigation to understand what happened and why the fatal shooting occurred.
