Woman who tossed shotgun to aim at officer pleads guilty

Published 10:58 pm Thursday, June 21, 2007

Tracie Rachelle Fedell tossed a loaded shotgun to her boyfriend Jan. 10 when the two were confronted by a deputy sheriff.

Seconds later, Marc Best, 31, leveled the weapon at the deputy. He was shot dead by the officer.

Fedell, 40, pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault. She also pleaded guilty to two counts of forgery unrelated to the shooting.

Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Gerald Knight is scheduled to sentence her July 23. She could receive a 41/2-year prison sentence, prosecutors said.

Fedell, who also uses the last name Best, had been riding with her boyfriend in a red Acura when a Washington State Patrol trooper tried to stop the car for a traffic violation. Best took off at high speed. The trooper eventually gave up the chase.

The sheriff’s deputy, who happened to be near a south Everett business park around Paine Field, recognized the description of the Acura. He activated his emergency lights when he saw the vehicle. The Acura swerved into oncoming traffic and hit a curb.

The vehicle ended up striking a couple of parked cars.

Best and Fedell jumped out of the Acura and started to run. Best yelled at her to go back to the car, get a gun and “shoot the cop,” according to court documents.

She pulled a blue bag out of the car and produced a black pistol-grip shotgun. Then she tossed it to Best.

He was shot when he pointed it at the deputy.

Fedell continued to resist and she ignored commands to get down until an officer shot her with a electric shock stun gun, documents said.

Best told Fedell he had been in prison before and he didn’t want to go back, documents said.

Fedell told investigators that she could not bring herself to shoot the deputy so she tossed the gun to her boyfriend.

Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.