Two Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Deputies were shot on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 10 while responding to an incident between neighbors near the 3000 block of Green Valley Drive in Maple Falls, Wash.
The deputies – Jay Thompson and Ryan Rathbun – were transported by medic to PeachHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. As of Friday, Feb. 11, one of the deputies was still at St. Joseph Medical Center in stable condition. The second deputy was brought to Harborview Medical Center and is under the care of a specialist.
The suspect, a 60-year-old male from Maple Falls, Wash., was apprehended around 6 p.m. on Feb. 10 by WCSO deputies and the SWAT team. T was arrested for two counts of attempted murder in the first degree. On Friday, Feb. 11, a judge set bail at $5 million for the individual charged.
At approximately 4:17 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 10, the WCSO deputies were dispatched to the 3000 block of Green Valley Drive after 911 received calls about a neighbor shooting his 12-gauge shotgun in the air. Deputies arrived at approximately 4:40 p.m. and took cover behind a neighbor’s garage where they told the suspect to drop the gun.
The suspect then yelled at the deputies and fired directly at them, hitting the first deputy in the head while the second deputy returned fire to protect the deputy that had been shot. An unknown civilian fired multiple shots at the suspect, where the WCSO deputies were then pulled to safety behind the neighbor's garage.
Kieran Bresnahan is a city news reporter studying visual journalism at WWU. He enjoys writing about education and local businesses and taking photos of local events.
