UPDATE:
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office updated the condition of the deputies shot last night in Maple Falls. One deputy is under observation at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham, and he is alert and stable. The second deputy was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to receive care from a specialist. He is also considered “stable.”
“We are extremely humbled by the support from the community,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Two Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputies were listed in stable condition Thursday night at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center after being shot in a neighborhood dispute in the Maple Falls area earlier in the evening.
A suspect in the shootings reportedly surrendered and was taken into custody just after 6 p.m.
The deputies were transported with unknown injuries after a shooting incident reported at about 4:20 p.m. in the Peaceful Valley area, according to a statement by the sheriff’s department.
The deputies were responding to reports of two male suspects shooting at each other, the statement said.
“Deputies arrived on scene and attempted a dialogue on the street with a man who had a shotgun,” the sheriff’s office reported. “During this contact, both deputies on scene were shot.”
Both officers were “conscious, alert and in stable condition” this evening at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, police said.
The sheriff’s office said an investigation into the incident is ongoing, and will be handled by the Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Response Team (LEMART), with the Bellingham Police Department serving as a lead agency. Citizens with information pertinent to the case were urged to contact BPD.
Traffic on the Mount Baker Highway was reported to be backed up during the altercation, as large numbers of first-responder vehicles raced to the scene.
Hospital spokesperson Bev Mayhew said St. Joseph was on “restricted status,” with additional security at entrances, as a precaution for a brief period as the deputies arrived.
“We appreciate the community’s kind words and support for our deputies,” Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Deb Slater said.
