Bainbridge Island Gunman Dead After Standoff With Police

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA - An active shooter situation near Bainbridge Island ended early Sunday morning after police shot and killed the gunman. The situation began around 9 p.m. Saturday after a man began firing randomly from a boat in Eagle Harbor in the waters off Bainbridge Island.

At around 1 a.m., the shooter emerged from his boat naked and holding a rifle. Police nearby opened fire when he aimed the gun at them.

"The subject was randomly shooting at shoreline homes and then at responding officers. After hours of attempting to end the situation peacefully the subject was approached by officers on boats and ultimately shot and killed when he pointed a weapon at the officers. There were no officers or citizens injured," Washington State Patrol spokesman Russ Winger said in a statement released Sunday morning.

Frederick Adams, the dockmaster at the Harbour Marina, said that he first heard the shots Saturday evening, and thought someone was lighting off firecrackers. He went out to inspect the situation, and realized that he was hearing gunfire.

Police later commandeered his boat, the Valkyrie III, to use as a staging platform. On Sunday morning, he was still waiting for police to wrap up the investigation so he could get back on his boat. Adams said he was about 1,000 yards away from the gunman, but was able to watch the situation unfold. He said the gunman was standing on a dinghy and appeared to be complying with police, but then jumped back on his boat and grabbed a gun.

"[The gunman] came up topside, he looked like he didn't have a shirt on, he might've had underwear on. It looked like he was complying, he was doing what they were asking. Then all of a sudden he jumped out of the dinghy, got on his boat, and I guess he picked up a rifle and pointed it at the policeman," Adams said.

Adams said that the man's boat had been docked in Eagle Harbor for at least three weeks, but there was never a problem with the boat or anyone on board. On July 4, the boat was tethered to several others for what appeared to be a party.

"The whole time he was out there, I never saw much activity, never heard any problems," Adams said.

Although the gunman fired random shots at boats and the shoreline for up to two hours, no one else was injured. The shooter was located near a ferry repair terminal, and the Seattle-Bainbridge ferry was canceled around 10 p.m.

Residents living along the Eagle Harbor shoreline were told to shelter in place and avoid windows.

State police are trying to find out more about what happened leading up to the incident and are asking witnesses to - especially those who might've taken photos or video - to contact Det.-Sgt. Mark Wilson at (360) 473-0141 or mark.wilson@wsp.wa.gov.

A second person was shot and killed by police earlier on Saturday. State police killed a man around 7 a.m. Saturday along I-5 in Lacey after he allegedly approached them while holding a knife.

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