PORT ANGELES — Tenants of the Evergreen Court Apartments said they were shaken, scared and angry about the Wednesday evacuation that preceded the suicide of a man who was wanted for two Clallam County killings.
Some residents in the apartment complex at 2202 W. 16th Street in Port Angeles were shuffled into a Clallam Transit bus at about 7:30 a.m. while authorities surrounded the unit where John Francis Loring was hiding.
Loring, 45, was wanted in the deaths of David J. Randle, 19, of the Sequim area and Ray Varney, 68, of Diamond Point.
Authorities said Loring died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in the apartment unit where he was holed up.
Cindy Johnston, who lives in the same building where Loring was found, woke to the sound of commotion.
She looked outside her upstairs window and saw officers circled around the building with their guns drawn.
“It kind of reminded us of Vegas,” Johnston said.
“We were there for a year, and we could kind of see the same thing happening there,” she added.
“That part seemed kind of familiar.”
Neighbors said Loring did not live in the main-floor unit where his body was found.
The apartment belonged to a woman who is on vacation with her son, neighbors said.
After a half-hour lockdown, law enforcement ordered the tenants to grab their coats and evacuate, Johnston said.
They were told to circle around the back of the pod and stand at the end of the street until everybody was out.
Six adults and a group of children waited on the bus for about six hours.
Clallam Transit provided snacks and drinks for the evacuees, some of whom were wearing pajamas.
Kellei Bryson was helping her son get ready for school when she heard a knock on the door.
“There was a policeman outside saying that we need to ‘get out and get out now,’” Bryson said.
Clallam County Chief Criminal Deputy Ron Cameron said between 15 and 20 people were evacuated.
Twenty-five apartment units and homes were on lockdown.
“I was angry and confused, mostly,” Bryson said.
Bryson said Loring approached her neighbor about a week and a half ago asking for a key to one of the apartment units.
Bryson said she did not know Loring.
Some residents who were evacuated congregated outside the administrative offices of the adjacent Serenity House of Clallam County, which provides transitional housing for the homeless, Executive Director Kathy Wahto said.
“It was all happening in a hurry,” Wahto said.
“I don’t think they loaded up buses and took them anywhere.”
The apartment residents returned by about noon Wednesday.
Two windows in the unit were Loring had been hiding were shattered — evidence of tear gas used in an attempt to get him out.
“It’s been kind of quiet around here until this morning,” Johnston said.
“It was just scary.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
Reporter Paul Gottlieb contributed to this report.
