Testimony begins in Granite Falls man’s shooting spree case

EVERETT — The Marysville patrol officer felt under siege.

Bullets pierced his windshield.

When he opened his door, the window was shattered by gunfire.

When he flipped on a side spotlight to try to blind the shooter’s vision, it too was shot out.

“I’ve got to get out of here,” officer James Tolbert recalled thinking. He testified Tuesday in the trial of Hans Hansen, a Granite Falls area man charged with 11 felonies, including two counts of attempted first-degree murder.

His attorney has said Hansen never intended to hurt officers. Hansen, 44, has been held without bail since his arrest Oct. 15, 2014, after opening fire on police.

Hansen allegedly first shot up a Granite Falls building belonging to a man whom he blamed for his business getting evicted.

Emergency dispatchers then received word that someone had shot up a police car outside the Granite Falls police station. Rounds also hit the building. Minutes later the Lake Stevens police station took gunfire. Patrol cars and other vehicles parked outside were struck.

Marysville officers, anticipating their city could be next, tried to head him off by waiting for the shooter at roads leading into the city.

It was in a neighborhood off of 64th Street in Marysville where Hansen repeatedly shot at Tolbert’s patrol car.

The driver’s door opened and there was a flash of gunfire, Tolbert said. In sometimes emotional testimony, the officer told the jury that he suspected Hansen was tracking his movements.

Tolbert eventually slid out of his patrol car and took refuge behind a truck. Hansen drove off, and Tolbert checked on his sergeant, James Maples, who had been shot in the leg.

Tolbert never fired a round. He never had the chance.

“Would you have if you had the opportunity?” Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Ed Stemler asked.

“One hundred percent,” Tolbert said.

Tolbert was the first witness to testify after the jury was chosen.

In opening arguments, Stemler told jurors they would hear from one detective who would describe the 18 rounds shot into one patrol car. They’ll also hear from people in neighborhoods whose cars and homes were shot.

Defense attorney Jon Scott acknowledged his client was responsible for the gunfire, but said Hansen wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. He’d been in a downward spiral for some time. He was depressed, suffering from medical problems and drinking heavily.

“His intent that night was not to harm anyone but himself,” Scott told the jury. But because of his client’s religious beliefs, he couldn’t commit suicide.

The shooting spree ended when a police officer shot Hansen in the head. The bullet didn’t pierce his skull and he wasn’t seriously injured.

When detectives interviewed him at the hospital, they asked if there was anything they could do for him. “He said, ‘Shoot me,’ ” Scott said.

Scott North contributed to this story.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.