One person arrested after seven-hour standoff with law enforcement in Rainier

A response to a report about a deceased person inside a Rainier residence led to a seven-hour standoff in which multiple shots were fired before a suspect was apprhended.

The incident started when Thurston County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the residence in the 600 block of Nieland Loop SE at roughly 9:10 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

"Deputies were advised that there was a deceased body inside the residence. Upon contact, a resident in crisis was asked to stay outside while medics responded but instead went inside and locked the doors," said the sheriff's office in a news release on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

"Two deputies attempted to force entry under exigency when shots were fired at them through the door. One (deputy) exchanged gunfire with the suspect. Neither (deputy) was impacted by gunfire, however a second deputy sustained an immobilizing leg injury while retreating under fire."

The injured deputy was taken to an undisclosed hospital, and was listed in stable condition at the time.

At some point, SWAT arrived at the scene. That led to a seven-hour standoff with the unidentified supsect firing numerous shots at law enforcement personnel and an armored Bearcat vehicle. 

"A SWAT sniper returned fire during the
incident, resulting in a (nonfatal) injury to the suspect. The SWAT team used armored vehicles to tear open a hole into the bathroom in the residence where the suspect was hiding. Communication was stablished with the suspect, who eventually surrendered," said the sheriff's office.

"The information being released is preliminary, and this is an ongoing investigation. In compliance with
RCW (Revised Code of Washington) 43.102, the Thurston County Sheriff's Office has notified the Washington State Office of Independent Investigations (OIl). Oll declined the investigation and Region 3 Critical Incident Investigation Team (CIIT) was notified and responded to investigate.
In compliance with the statute, the Thurston County Sheriff's Office will not be involved in the independent investigation."

All future communications about the incident will be sent through Region 3 CIIT.

"The Thurston County Sheriff's Office would like to thank Yelm Police Department, Washington State
Patrol, (medics), and our Regional SWAT team for the immediate response and assistance," said the sheriff's office.