Love triangle leaves one shot

Man rammed new boyfriend’s truck before shooting

By CATHY LOGG

Herald Writer

MALTBY — A Snohomish County man demonstrated his anger at his former girlfriend’s new beau by repeatedly ramming the man’s truck with a forklift Wednesday and then shooting him outside the business where all three worked.

"Obviously, there’s a love triangle here," sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen said. "Apparently, he resented her new boyfriend.

"Obviously, it’s very disturbing that something like this can happen in the workplace, but we all know it does," she said. "We’re lucky that no one else got shot."

The victim, 36, was listed in satisfactory condition Wednesday at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with a gunshot wound to his right shoulder, hospital spokeswoman Pam O’Brien said.

The suspect, 40, waited calmly for deputies to arrive. He was arrested and booked into Snohomish County Jail on investigation of first-degree assault.

The woman, 33, was uninjured and remained at Eagle Crest Cabinetry Inc. in the 8300 block of Maltby Road while sheriff’s detectives interviewed witnesses and investigated the scene.

The incident occurred after all three showed up for work. The suspect climbed on a forklift and began ramming the other man’s late-model, blue Dodge pickup, striking it numerous times and damaging the side, the right rear and the canopy, Jorgensen said.

The victim and his girlfriend heard the commotion and, along with some other employees, came outside, she said. The suspect then pulled out a revolver and fired four or five shots, she said. Only one bullet hit the victim.

Authorities could not say what the other bullets struck until the investigation is completed.

Deputies and medics arrived about six minutes after the shooting, which occurred just after 9 a.m. The victim was treated and then airlifted to Harborview.

Most employees remained inside the building. After the shooting, the suspect waited near the company’s maintenance shop.

"This dispute has been going on for a while," Jorgensen said. Eagle Crest supervisors "were aware that there were some problems between the three, and they’ve been trying to work that out and mediate."

Darline Bunker, the company’s human resources manager, confirmed that the two men were employees.

"It was a domestic dispute that happened in our parking lot," she said, adding that she could not discuss the relationship that existed between the two men.

Information on the three employees’ jobs, how long they worked for the company, their hometowns, and whether there have been prior confrontations at work was unavailable.

"No one would have expected something like this to happen," Jorgensen said. "It’s one thing to have a problem with someone, but to have someone react like this is extreme."