PORT ANGELES — James Edward Sweet remained at Harborview Medical Center on Sunday after authorities said he took aim at law enforcement officers east of Port Angeles on Saturday.
Sweet, 36, was in serious condition at the Seattle hospital, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said.
He was initially listed in critical conditions after the gunfight on U.S. Highway 101 at Monroe Road.
“As far I know he’s going to be at Harborview for a bit,” Brian King, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office chief criminal deputy, said Sunday.
“But how many days? I don’t know. There are officers at the hospital that are maintaining security of him.”
Sweet is under arrest for investigation of attempted murder of a police officer.
Harborview officials would not confirm that Sweet was on the patient census Sunday, likely for security reasons, King said.
“I’m certain he’s at Harborview,” Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict said.
Sweet allegedly fled a traffic stop for suspected reckless driving at about 9:47 a.m. Saturday.
Port Angeles Police Officer Whitney Fairbanks initiated the stop at Golf Course Road when Sweet sped east, crashed into a car at Monroe Road, got out of his vehicle and fired at Fairbanks, Port Angeles Deputy Police Chief Brian Smith said.
Fairbanks was able to get out of her car and return fire.
Officer Dallas Maynard and Corp. Kori Malone of the Port Angeles Police Department and sheriff’s Sgt. Shaun Minks arrived at the intersection and also fired return shots.
Sweet had refused officers’ commands to drop his revolver, Benedict said.
Fairbanks and a fellow officer were treated for non-gunshot-related superficial wounds and released from Olympic Medical Center on Saturday.
The other officers involved in the shooting and the driver of the vehicle that Sweet crashed into were not injured.
There were no new details about the incident Sunday.
“There were probably 50 people who saw that, and you’d be amazed at how differing their accounts are,” Benedict said.
The State Patrol is leading the investigation.
The gunfight and ensuing crime scene investigation snarled traffic on U.S. Highway 101 in both directions until about 9 p.m. Saturday.
Vehicles were diverted around the Monroe Road intersection to allow investigators to process evidence at a scene littered with bullet casings.
“There was a lot of forensic evidence that we have to gather and we don’t want to lose,” said Trooper Russ Winger, State Patrol spokesman.
One witness told the Peninsula Daily News that at least 30 shots were fired by the officers and Sweet.
Winger said the traffic jam was exacerbated by a lack of “escape routes.”
“We are aware of the impacts of the traffic,” Winger said.
“We try to do everything we can to alleviate it and get traffic flowing.”
“It’s like too much water in a small pipe,” Winger added. “You can only do so much.”
The State Patrol warned drivers through social media to avoid the area if possible.
Benedict apologized to motorists for the traffic, saying Sweet “picked a real terrible place” to get involved in a shooting.
“I apologize, but as an officer-involved shooting, there are people who put so much scrutiny on that,” Benedict said.
State Patrol crime scene investigators arrived at about 5 p.m., which delayed the initial investigation, Benedict said.
Law enforcement units cleared the scene at about 9 p.m., Winger said.
While it probably wasn’t the worst traffic in city history, King said the incident had a “significant effect on the mobility of traffic, especially on a holiday weekend.”
Emergency vehicles were allowed to pass through the crime scene.
King said he was unaware of significant medical issues or other traffic-related problems.
Winger predicted that the full investigation would take at least a month to complete.
The city police department and county sheriff’s office will conduct independent reviews, Winger said.
“In my mind, I am not at all worried that it was not a justified shooting,” Benedict said.
The four officers who were involved in the shooting will be on administrative leave during the initial investigation, Winger said.
Benedict said he expected Minks to be back on duty in about a week.
Smith was not available for comment Sunday.
The sheriff’s office has two new deputies starting today, King said.
“Staffing wise we’re in good shape,” he said. “We’re well-prepared to continue our mission.”
The state Department of Corrections is expected to take responsibility for Sweet’s security early this week, Benedict said.
Fairbanks is the daughter of U.S. Forest Service Officer Kristine Fairbanks, who was shot and killed while on duty Sept. 20, 2008, on a U.S. Forest Service road south of Sequim.
Whitney Fairbanks joined the Port Angeles police department in June 2015.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
Senior staff writer Paul Gottlieb contributed to this report.
