SEATTLE — The names of three King County deputies who were shot at by a resident while serving an eviction notice in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood were released Tuesday.
One of the deputies, identified as Detective David Easterly, was hit by a bullet and critically injured, later undergoing surgery at Harborview Medical Center. At last update, Easterly is still in the ICU. Easterly has been with the King County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) for 24 years.
The other officers were identified as Detective Benjamin Wheeler and Detective Benjamine Miller, who have been with KCSO for 25 and 23 years, respectively. All three of the officers were assigned to the Civil Process Unit.
“It really speaks to just how volatile and dangerous so much of the job can be specifically for those carrying out these very important duties,” said Steve Strachan who is the executive director for the Washington Association of Sheriff’s and Police Chiefs or WASPC.
Strachan said data shows assaults on law enforcement have risen by 20% since 2021. The numbers are even higher for those who do things like serve eviction notices.
"We're actually seeing a 39% increase in assaults on officers in the category that includes serving civil process," said Strachan.
The resident who shot the deputy has been identified to KING 5 as 29-year-old Eucytus. They died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during the standoff according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office.
“It’s not an outcome that anyone looks for,” said Sean Flynn who is the executive director for the Rental Housing Association of Washington. Flynn said the eviction process normally takes months to over a year and is exceedingly hard.
“The process is incredibly lengthy and we have lots of good people working on both sides of that process from the courts to tenant advocates, housing providers, landlords,” said Flynn.
Flynn said normally once the final notice is posted by deputies, the tenant has three days to leave the apartment.
Investigators were at the apartment until two a.m. and found evidence that all three deputies likely shot back at Eucytus.