PORT ANGELES — A 54-year-old man reportedly died by suicide after a nearly two-hour standoff with Clallam County Sheriff’s deputies and the Peninsula Crisis Response Team, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Jesse G. Yaun was found dead of a single gunshot wound on Saturday inside a travel trailer in the 900 block of Lemmon Road, which is off of Old Olympic Highway east of Port Angeles, the Sheriff’s Office stated in a news release.
Earlier in the day, Yaun had reportedly threatened to kill family members and burn down the residence, and he retreated to his trailer on the property before deputies arrived, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies conducted an on-scene investigation and determined there was probable cause to arrest Yaun for felony harassment-domestic violence, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Witness statements indicated there was reasonable belief that Yaun had the ability and means to carry out his threats. Witnesses also said Yaun has access to a loaded semi-automatic handgun and may have been under the influence of methamphetamine, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Further investigation found that Yaun was a convicted felon and therefore was prohibited from possessing firearms, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Family members and nearby neighbors were evacuated from the area while deputies secured the scene, the Sheriff’s Office said. A search warrant was obtained to arrest Yaun inside the trailer and to seize any firearms from the property, the agency added.
Trained negotiators were called to the scene along with the Peninsula Crisis Response Team, which responded with two armored vehicles, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Negotiators established communication with Yaun and worked for nearly two hours to de-escalate the situation before a single gunshot was heard, after which all communication ceased, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Members of the Peninsula Crisis Response Team breached the locked trailer door and found Yaun on the floor. A tactical medic embedded with the crisis team pronounced Yaun deceased at the scene, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Investigators recovered a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol near Yaun’s body, and it was believed to be the weapon used in the incident, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The Clallam County Coroner’s Office was notified and took jurisdiction over the remains.
