SEKIU — A Clallam County sheriff’s deputy who was shot twice by an apparent squatter in a beachfront cabin Monday went home to Forks on Tuesday.
The man he shot — a military veteran with a Bronze Star, according to his resume — remained in critical condition and under guard in a Seattle hospital.
Deputy Bill Cortani, 41, who was wounded in the hip and the left shoulder when he attempted to arrest Scott Lincoln Davis for trespassing in a cabin near Sekiu, was discharged from Harborview Medical Center on Tuesday.
“He’s doing great,” Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict said. “He’s a remarkably tough guy.
“He had what we call through-and-through wounds, which is when the bullet goes in and out and doesn’t do much damage.”
Davis, 59, of Silverdale remained in critical condition at Harborview on Tuesday night.
Benedict said he didn’t know how many times Davis had been shot.
“He is under guard at the hospital, and he is absolutely not free to leave,” Benedict said.
Benedict said a motion to determine probable cause had not yet been filed, but that charges likely would include first degree burglary and first degree assault and likely attempted murder.
Vacation cabin
Cortani told Benedict that he was not ready to talk with a reporter about the shoot-out.
The Sheriff’s Department said that Davis and Cortani exchanged gunfire on Monday after a vacation cabin’s owners, Dave and Sue Sperline of Redmond, were notified by an employee of the neighboring Ray’s Grocery, 7621 state Highway 112, that a man had been in the store saying that he was going to stay in the cabin.
The couple jumped in their car and called law enforcement.
Cortani was sent to the cabin, where, Benedict said, Davis shot him with a handgun, fled the cabin to his car, grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun and fired at Cortani again.
The deputy shot Davis several times.
Davis then surrendered and Cortani held him until backup arrived about 20 to 30 minutes later, Benedict said.
An online resume, which Benedict and Deputy Scott Wilson of the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department confirmed was Davis,’ says that Davis retired from the Army with the rank of major in 1991.
He had worked at the Central Kitsap School District until 2005 when he served as a recreation park manager for the U.S. Navy in the Bremerton area.
His resume states that he began his service in 1971 and that he had earned a Bronze Star, three Meritorious Service Medals, three Commendation Medals, a Ranger Tab and a Senior Rotary Wing Aviator.
Benedict, who said that a relative of Davis’ had spoken with him, said that Davis had married a Palestinian woman and converted to Islam after the first Gulf War.
‘Out of control’
“From what we have heard, he started spiraling out of control about a year and a half ago,” Benedict said.
Wilson said Davis had been a member of the Islamic Center of Kitsap County but that there had been a falling out.
He said that, although Davis had previously been listed at a home in Silverdale, most recent reports had indicated that he was in a transient status in the last several months.
Isolated area
The shoot-out was in an isolated area, with the nearest law enforcement officers several Department of Fish and Wildlife officers who work in the Neah Bay area, Benedict said.
“I’m not sure exactly where everyone was, but they got there as fast as they could,” he said.
Sgt. Brian King and several Forks Police Department officers were next to arrive, Benedict said.
The State Patrol is in charge of the investigation of the incident, which is routine any time an officer’s gun is fired, Benedict said.
Cortani was interviewed by the State Patrol on Tuesday, Benedict said.
Trooper Krista Hedstrom said she wasn’t sure of the details of the investigation.
As in any instance when a gun is fired, Cortani is on administrative leave in addition to time off to heal from his injuries.
“The administrative leave is just a technicality at this point, because I believe he’ll be healing for a while longer after his administrative leave ends,” Benedict said.
On Tuesday, Benedict gave the three Clallam County commissioners a detailed report on the shoot-out.
“Deputy Cortani is one tough guy,” Benedict said. “He did fight back. He didn’t give up.”
Cortani lives in Forks with his wife and children.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
