PORT ANGELES — A gunfight Saturday morning between a Port Angeles man and four law enforcement officers led to the arrest of a convicted felon and a miles-long traffic backup east of Port Angeles.
The shootout erupted at the intersection of Monroe Road and U.S. Highway 101 just east of the city limit at about 10 a.m., authorities said.
James Edward Sweet, 36, was in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds at Olympic Medical Center on Saturday afternoon before being transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, said Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict.
Expected to survive
Sweet is expected to survive, said Benedict, who said he spoke to two doctors about Sweet’s injuries.
Calls to Harborview inquiring about Sweet’s condition Saturday afternoon were not returned.
Two Port Angeles police officers — including Officer Whitney Fairbanks, who was shot at by Sweet, police said — were treated for superficial wounds, none related to gunshots, at OMC and were discharged, Benedict said.
Interim Police Chief Brian Smith said Sweet was arrested for investigation of attempted murder of a police officer following the gunfight.
Traffic snarled
State Patrol spokesman Russ Winger said late Saturday afternoon that traffic was backed up at the intersection and that vehicles were being diverted around the shooting scene while officers processed the crime scene.
Winger said traffic was expected to be back to normal by midnight Saturday.
The shootout occurred after Sweet allegedly fled a traffic stop for suspected reckless driving at 9:47 a.m. Saturday.
The stop was initiated by Officer Fairbanks at Golf Course Road, about a half-mile west of the intersection.
Fairbanks, who Smith said joined the department in June 2015, is the daughter of U.S. Forest Service Officer Kristine Fairbanks, who was shot to death while on duty Sept. 20, 2008 at the Dungeness Forks Campground south of Sequim.
Fairbanks was in her police cruiser behind Sweet when he allegedly sped away from her on East Highway 101, crashed into a car at the Monroe Road intersection — leaving the driver unhurt — got out of his vehicle and fired his gun at Fairbanks, Smith said.
“She had a person firing a weapon at a close distance, and she managed to get out of her car and return fire, and managed to engage the suspect,” Smith said.
‘Remarkable person’
“Whitney is a remarkable person,” Smith said, praising “the level of her courage and valor [Saturday], how well she performed.
“It’s a difficult situation for her and everyone, her and her family, and the officers in the department,” Smith said.
Returned fire
Officer Dallas Maynard and Corp. Kori Malone, both of the Port Angeles Police Department, and Sgt. Shawn Minks of the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the intersection, returning shots allegedly fired by Sweet.
Sweet was armed with a revolver and refused their orders to drop his weapon, Benedict said.
Benedict said he did not know if the shooter emptied his gun.
Amber Blank, a store clerk at the Arco convenience store located at the intersection, said the shooter fired back at police from a grassy corner where Les Schwab Tire Center is located across from the intersection.
Blank said the man fired his gun from 30 to 40 yards away from the officers before she saw him get shot.
“He was convulsing on the ground,” she said.
Blank thought, “I can’t believe this is happening,” she said.
“I was thinking, I’m an idiot for standing in the glass door.
“I wanted to watch the whole thing.
“It was very overwhelming.”
Blank lives two blocks from the store.
“I’m in the process of moving right now, thankfully, holy crud,” she said.
Blank said at least 30 shots were fired by the officers and shooter.
Benedict said he did not know how many shots were fired.
“A total of 30 shots sounds reasonable, but I just don’t know,” he said, estimating there were at least 10.
Sweet was treated by Clallam County Fire District 2 personnel and transported to Olympic Medical Center by Olympic Ambulance, Chief Sam Phillips said.
“We treated the suspect for multiple gunshot wounds,” Phillips said.
A “rather large” incident command post was set up at the intersection by area law enforcement agencies, he said.
The State Patrol will investigate both Sweet allegedly shooting at the officers and the circumstances surrounding the officers returning the shooter’s fire, Benedict said.
The officers “followed protocols and procedures,” Smith said.
“It was us doing what we are trained to do.”
The State Patrol’s report will be referred to Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols for a charging decision.
Smith said the investigation into the shooting exceeded his department’s capabilities.
“It’s not just because it’s our shooting,” he said. “It’s a very large event.”
Winger said late Saturday afternoon that the State Patrol crime scene investigators were due to arrive at the intersection by about 5 p.m. Saturday.
“That’s a big shooting scene,” he said.
“It’s still chaotic traffic out there.”
Traffic by then was “sluggish,” but not at a standstill, he added.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
