PCSO Deputy Kent Mundell Jr. Died 9 Years Ago Today

PUYALLUP, WA - Friday marks nine years since Pierce County deputy Kent Mundell Jr. died of gunshot wounds he sustained after a gunfight with a domestic violence suspect.

On Dec. 21, 2009, Mundell and Sgt. Nick Hausner went to a home near Tanwax Lake on a report of a domestic incident. The suspect, David Crable, was drunk and being disruptive. Hausner and Mundell were able to convince Crable to leave the home, even offering him a ride home.

But as Crable was leaving the home, he pulled a gun and opened fire. Hausner was hit in the face. Mundell, shot multiple times, returned fire, killing Crable. Hausner survived his injury.

Mundell died on Dec. 28, 2009, at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He was 44 and was married with a daughter and son.

Mundell grew up in South Hill and lived in the Puyallup area at the time of his death. He was the fifth Pierce County deputy killed in the line of duty since 1941. Deputies Shandon Wright and Daniel McCartney were shot and killed in 2011 and 2018, respectively.

Image courtesy Pierce County