EASTSOUND — Law enforcement officers looking for a man who reportedly told friends he had killed his girlfriend traced him to a boat in Washington’s San Juan Islands, but they say he shot himself as they drew near.
As federal officers approached the 36-foot powerboat Wednesday, the man went below deck. Coast Guard officers then heard a shot and found the man seriously wounded. He died on the boat.
San Juan County Sheriff Bill Cumming says officers who boarded the boat off Orcas Island also found the body of a woman.
The chase began earlier Wednesday when the man’s friends received a text message from him saying he had killed his girlfriend and was planning on killing himself.
KOMO-TV says the friends notified Bellevue police, who were able to approximate his position at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island by “pinging” his cell phone.
Coast Guard vessels followed the boat as it left Friday Harbor.
The man and woman have not been identified pending notification of relatives.
Information from: KOMO-TV, www.komotv.com/
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