Suspect In Killing Of Deputy Daniel McCartney Arrested

FREDERICKSON, WA - The man suspected of shooting and killing Pierce County deputy Daniel A. McCartney was identified late Monday afternoon, according to the Pierce County sheriff's office. The suspect, a 32-year-old man, had been taken into custody earlier Monday and was later identified as the suspect.

The suspect was booked on out outstanding warrants out of Shelton, but charges are expected to be upgraded to include first-degree murder. The suspect will likely be arraigned Tuesday in Pierce County.

Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor lauded his department and others that worked to identify the suspect.

"When we put the smarts and heart of our people together in a situation like this, I would match them with any agency of similar size in the United States," Pastor said. "They had a brother who was taken from them. They stepped up and worked themselves hard."

McCartney died after being shot Sunday night at a home in Frederickson. Around 11:3o p.m. Sunday, McCartney responded to a report of a home invasion along the 5100 block of 200th Street East. When he arrived at the scene, McCartney chased two suspects. The second suspect, age 34, was found dead near where McCartney was found.

Police had launched a manhunt for the shooting suspect. A state trooper found the man Monday morning who was eventually identified as the suspect. He was arrested on an obstructing justice, and police later identified him as a suspect.

Here's how the sheriff's office described the incident:

A Pierce County Sheriff’s deputy was shot just after 11:30 p.m. on Sunday January 7, 2018, by an unidentified suspect as the deputy was responding to a 911 call reporting an intruder at a residence on 200th St. E. in the Frederickson area. During the 911 call, dispatchers could hear screaming and a scuffle taking place.

The deputy arrived on scene and became involved in a foot pursuit with an unidentified black male suspect, during which shots were fired and the deputy was struck; the suspect fled the area on foot.

A large area of containment has been set up in the area of 200th St. E. as the suspect is being actively searched for by K9 units. We are asking the media not to respond to the area at this time as there is a massive search being conducted for an armed and dangerous unidentified suspect.

McCartney, 34, was from Yelm, and was a married father of three boy ages 4, 6, and 9. He joined the Pierce County Sheriff's Office in 2014. McCartney was originally from Loyalton, Calif., which is about 130 miles northeast of Sacramento. After serving in the Navy as an electronics technician, McCartney worked as an officer for six years in Hoquiam.

"Prior to being hired at HPD, Daniel worked as a detention officer at the Grays Harbor County Juvenile Facility and was a personal trainer at the Grays Harbor YMCA," Hoquiam Chief Jeff Myers said in a statement. "Daniel graduated from Loyalton High School in Loyalton, California before joining the US Navy in 2002. He served in the Navy as an Electronics Technician 2nd class and toward the end of his tour was deployed to Afghanistan with a security detail assigned to the US Army. He was honorably discharged in 2008."

Find out hot to donate to McCartney's legacy fund here

Police and fire departments and elected officials across the state mourned McCartney.

"His bravery is is echoed across Washington every day, as our law enforcement officers run towards the danger in service of making Washington a safer place," Gov Jay Inslee said.

Since November 2016, Pierce County has lost three officers. Tacoma officer Reginald "Jake" Gutierrez, 45, was shot and killed responding to a domestic violence call on Nov. 30, 2016. Lakewood officer Arron Grant, 40, and Pierce County deputy Kory Shaffer, 47, both committed suicide in 2017.

Dec. 28 was the eight-year anniversary of the line-of-duty killing of Pierce County deputy Kent Mundell. Mundell died after responding to a domestic violence call at a home north of Eatonville.

Image courtesy Pierce County Sheriff's Office