A suspect who was found dead at the scene of a fatal shooting of a deputy was wearing body armor, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. Investigators also found two young children living in squalor in the home.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Deputy Daniel McCartney fired at the suspect five times, most of which hit the suspect’s body armor. The shot that killed McCartney came from one of the suspects, according to Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Ed Troyer.
“The one round that hit our deputy hit him in the worst possible spot ever,” Troyer said. “Our deputy was wearing a vest, but it did not matter in this case. It was above the vest, and it’s really unfortunate.”
Earlier police were determining whether the suspect died in a shootout. Evidence now shows the suspect shot himself in the head.
"One of the shots our deputy fired would've lead to his death but the suspect fired his own weapon into his own head. Whether that was intentional or accidental we’ll never know, but he did shoot himself with his own gun after being shot five times by our deputy," Troyer said.
The second suspect was not wearing body armor when police arrested him, according Troyer. However, it is not known if the suspect was wearing armor during the burglary.
Two guns were recovered from the scene in addition to McCartney's weapon.
A third suspect was the alleged getaway driver.
“We've also got a 52-year-old female in custody that we believe dropped them off and was going to be a getaway driver but as soon as police cars arrived she fled," Troyer said.
The home where the burglary took place was a “trap house,” well-known to deputies for drugs and crime, according to Troyer. Deputies had been to the house 15 or 16 times over the last 14 months for various reasons.
“There are no beds in that house. There’s feces on the floor. Squalor conditions that nobody should live in," Troyer said.
Police believe the burglary was related to drugs or drug money.
Two children, ages 2 and 3, lived in the home.
McCartney was shot while responding to a burglary call in the Frederickson area Sunday night. He later died from his injuries.
