Man kills himself at police stop

LAKE STEVENS – A man in his late 20s apparently committed suicide Friday during a traffic stop by a Lake Stevens police officer, police said.

The officer attempted to pull over the 1984 Toyota van at about 3:55 p.m. The officer followed the van from Highway 9 at Lundeen Parkway west into the 9000 block of Vernon Road, where the vehicles pulled over onto the shoulder.

The driver then stepped out of the vehicle and pulled out a handgun, shooting himself, said Snohomish County sheriff’s spokesman Rich Niebusch said.

Although the officer also drew his weapon, witnesses reported only the single gunshot being fired, Niebusch said.

A female passenger with the man was unhurt.

Reanna Roy was working at a nearby door shop when she heard a gunshot.

“There was yelling and then you heard the gunshot and the lady screaming,” said Roy, who rushed to a window overlooking the scene. “The guy was dead on the ground and the officer had his gun up. … It was scary.”

The incident unsettled people in the industrial area of gas stations and auto service shops. Police strung crime-scene tape around a large parking lot and a portion of Vernon Road while they investigated. The disruption lasted hours.

Dan House owns a nearby auto-care shop and recalled being surprised by the sound of sirens accompanying the traffic stop.

“Next thing you know, our parking lot is being taped off,” he said.

Witnesses said the man’s dead body lay in the open for about 20 minutes until a helicopter for a television station arrived and police covered the body.

The officer had been attempting to pull the man over because of a felony warrant associated with the van, Niebusch said.

The incident is being investigated by sheriff’s homicide detectives at the request of the Lake Stevens Police Department. The Snohomish County medical examiner will ultimately determine the cause and manner of the man’s death, officials said.

Reporter Melissa Slager: 425-339-3465 or mslager@heraldnet.com.