MARYSVILLE — Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick said the shooting Saturday that killed Seattle police officer and Marysville resident Timothy Brenton was an attack on the entire community.
“I just hope that there’s a point in life when we can come together as a community and stop having these senseless acts of violence,” Lovick said.
He visited the Seattle corner on Monday where Brenton died. The officer’s trainee also was injured in what’s being called a drive-by assassination.
Lovick called the gunfire cowardly and despicable.
“It’s a tremendous assault,” the sheriff said. “It’s an assault on all of us.”
Brenton, a veteran Seattle officer, was working in a patrol car Saturday night with Britt Sweeney, a rookie officer who recently graduated from the state’s police academy. The officers were parked in the Leshi neighborhood debriefing after a traffic stop when a car pulled alongside and someone opened fire. Brenton was killed and Sweeney injured.
Sweeney was able to return fire, but the suspects got away.
On Monday, the hunt for suspects continued and no arrests were made.
Flags were lowered to half-staff in Marysville, where Brenton lived with his wife and two children, 8 and 11.
“Anytime you lose a life it’s a tragedy,” Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall said.
Snohomish County deputies and Marysville police officers were working with Seattle investigators to provide protection and support to Brenton’s family.
“We’re all on high alert,” Marysville police Cmdr. Robb Lamoureux said.
Police around the county plan to attend Brenton’s funeral.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Brenton’s family and all of the Seattle Police Department’s officers and staff during this extremely difficult time,” Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said. “We will be there for them in any way that we can.”
The killing is the first assassination-type slaying of a police officer in the region in recent memory.
“Anytime that something like this occurs to a law enforcement officer who appears to have been a target, it causes all of us to look back on how we’re deployed,” Marysville Police Chief Rick Smith said.
He said he’ll work with commanders to ensure his officers are aware of all potential threats.
Lynnwood Police Chief Steven Jensen said the killing demonstrates “the callousness and cowardice of individuals who threaten a civilized society.”
“Heinous acts of this sort clearly show the necessity of a police force to protect the larger society from criminals such as these and the very real sacrifice that being a police officer may entail,” Jensen said.
Officers try to be aware of ever-present dangers, Jensen said. There is little that can be done to prevent a random criminal attacks.
The sheriff’s office command staff plans to discuss the incident this week, Lovick said.
“What could they have done differently? I just don’t know,” the sheriff said.
Seattle police on Monday were looking for the driver of the car who fled the shooting scene Saturday, officials said.
They also were chasing down every lead possible to find the killer. They interviewed a 25-year-old man who had made threats against police Friday. The man was released on bond Saturday from the King County Jail and was arrested again Saturday night after the shooting.
Before Brenton transferred to the Seattle force, he worked as a Skagit County sheriff’s deputy in La Conner.
Residents there remember Brenton from days when he would park his patrol car in front of the town’s school complex, protecting children as they walked to class.
“He’s a very well-thought-of officer up here in this county,” Anacortes Police Chief Bonnie Bowers said. “We all have fond memories of Tim. Our hearts go out to his family.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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