Man in critical condition after Mill Creek police shooting

Published 1:50 pm Friday, January 25, 2008

MILL CREEK — A man was in critical condition with gunshot wounds today after an early morning police shooting in Mill Creek, officials said.

A Mill Creek police officer opened fire during an apparent car prowl in the Highlands South neighborhood near the Mill Creek Country Club, Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.

Officers were in the 2600 block of 163rd Place SE at about 3:30 a.m. when the call “shots fired” went out over police radios, Hover said.

Neighbors heard a commotion and shouts coming from police officers.

Police shouted “’We have our guns drawn. Get your hands out of the car,’” said Tony Winkler, who was up late playing XBox games when the incident occurred near his home.

A man was treated at the scene for gunshot wounds and later taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, the region’s trauma center. He was listed in critical condition late this morning in the hospital’s intensive care unit, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The Mill Creek officer who fired his gun is a 20-year-veteran. As is routine after an officer-involved shooting, the officer was placed on paid leave during the investigation, Hover said.

The Snohomish Multi-Agency Response Team, a special team of detectives who are called after officer-involved shootings, is leading the investigation, Hover said.

Details still were being gathered this morning, Hover said