BOTHELL — A man accused of shooting a Bothell police officer to death and wounding another was found hiding on a downtown rooftop and arrested early Tuesday, police said.
Police identified the fallen officer as Jonathan Shoop, 32, who began his police career in Bothell just over one year ago. He’s the only police officer killed in the line of duty in the city’s history.
Suspected shooter Henry Eugene Washington, 37, was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of homicide, felony assault and vehicular assault.
Jonathan Shoop (Bothell Police Department)
Shoop tried to stop a westbound Pontiac G6 on Highway 522 around 9:40 p.m. Monday. After a short car chase, the black sedan hit a pedestrian on a scooter in a crosswalk, crashed through the center median and stopped in the 10300 block of Woodinville Drive.
“According to video footage and witnesses, a male exited the Pontiac and walked towards the police SUV while firing a handgun at it,” officer Aaron Snell wrote in a press release, on behalf of the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team, a regional agency investigating the incident. “The male then ran from the scene as the police SUV continued forward, glanced off the Pontiac and rolled several hundred yards before coming to a stop against a tree.”
Backup arrived to find two Bothell police officers in the same cruiser had been shot. Shoop was driving. Police believe the second officer fired shots, too.
A tweet from the Bothell Fire Department confirmed around 11 p.m. that two Bothell officers were “down” following a pursuit. Bothell police Capt. Mike Johnson later announced one of them was killed.
For most of the night, Bothell police said they were searching for a man who was armed with a handgun, wearing a gray tanktop and baggy sweatpants. Police radioed that he’d been seen fleeing north of the crash.
Washington was arrested around 3:40 a.m., when officers found he had been hiding on the roof of a business in the 10000 block of Main Street, just north of the shooting scene, according to police. He apparently tried to climb off the roof, but ended up getting stuck, wedged between two buildings.
Police took the man into custody without further incident. He had a handgun in his pants, according to investigators.
The second officer was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was initially listed in satisfactory condition. That officer was released from the hospital later Tuesday morning.
The pedestrian, 20, also was transported to Harborview, where he was listed in satisfactory condition.
Shoop’s body was transported to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office in a morning police procession. Condolences poured in from police departments around the region and country.
Tony Mandeville places a bouquet of flowers on the windshield of a Bothell Police Department vehicle that was turned into a memorial Tuesday in front of Bothell City Hall. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In a tweet, Bothell City Councilman Mason Thompson said he was “heartbroken.”
“My prayers are with the officers who have been shot and their families,” Thompson said.
Bothell straddles the King-Snohomish county line.
Detectives with the multiple agency response team — better known as SMART — began an investigation. SMART is a team of detectives from various Snohomish County police agencies who investigate police uses of deadly force.
Initially, the SMART team reported results of their investigation would be forwarded to the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office for review, and that the suspect was expected to be held in the Snohomish County Jail. However, all of the alleged crimes happened about a mile south of the county line. The suspect was taken to the jail in downtown Everett before being transferred to the King County Jail, Snohomish County Prosecutor Adam Cornell said.
Meanwhile, throughout the day, people came to the plaza outside Bothell City Hall where they stopped to pay tribute, placing flowers and balloons atop and alongside a police patrol car.
By evening, the cruiser was buried in bouquets.
Supportive messages — “Your sacrifice will not be forgotten,” “Our hearts are with you,” “We stand with you Bothell PD” — were scrawled on the pavement in chalk.
Arjun Subbarao brought his son Niles, 6, to see the memorial a block from his home.
“Last night we woke up with all the sirens going on,” Subbarao said. “It’s kind of traumatic because we’ve never had this happen here.”
He was hesitant to bring his son at first.
“We were a little skeptical about telling him what happened but then I thought he should know because I don’t think he should be afraid of police,” the father said. “They’re here to protect and serve and he needs to empathize with police and see that it is real what is happening and sad.”
He said Niles was still trying to internalize it all.
Jennifer Sciarrino and Amy Crawford, friends and coworkers, decided to visit the memorial over their lunch break. Sciarrino said she wanted to show her respect for the fallen officer and said it was a reminder of how law enforcement put their lives on the line each day.
“We as a society need to recognize that and remember that,” said Sciarrino, who has lived in the city for more than 20 years.
She said she never expected something like this to happen in her hometown. Looking at the news, she said she worried for everyone.
“I’m in fear for our law enforcement, I’m in fear for our Black community, I’m in fear for everything right now,” she said. “It’s hard to know what to do.”
The city’s police chief, Ken Seuberlich, penned a letter to Bothell residents last month, in the wake of the death of George Floyd and nationwide protests against police brutality — including some in Bothell. He wrote that the city’s police would stand side by side with local protesters.
“The fact is, Law Enforcement must do better,” the chief wrote. “We as Law Enforcement must own our mistakes and work hard every day to ensure we are earning the authority we have been given. To be frank, it starts with hiring the right people. The Bothell Police Department excels at this through a rigorous background process, which seeks out empathetic, caring people who have a desire to make a difference.”
Shoop served in the U.S. Coast Guard before taking a position in Bothell. He’s survived by his significant other, his mother and two brothers. A vigil was planned Tuesday evening at city hall.
“Jonathan was a dedicated officer who served the City of Bothell with compassion … (and) was well liked amongst his peers and throughout the community,” his police department said in a statement Tuesday. “Officer Jonathan Shoop will be dearly missed.”
Herald reporter Eric Stevick contributed to this story. The Associated Press also contributed.
Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.
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