Ranger Margaret Anderson, 34, was shot and killed on the road to Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park on Sunday morning. As of this time (early on Monday), the assailant is still at large and a manhunt is underway.
The incident began when a car failed to stop at a required tire chain checkpoint. A ranger tried to pull the car over, and, when it failed to stop, Anderson established a road block with her vehicle. The assailant jumped from his car and opened fire with a shotgun, fatally wounding her. He then fled on foot into the woods. Rangers and law enforcement officers from various agencies responded. The Pierce County SWAT team arrived on scene and they, too, were fired upon while rendering aid to Anderson.
Law enforcement officers closed the park road, evacuated park visitors from Longmire, and locked down Paradise, with all visitors in the area taking refuge in the Jackson Visitor Center. There were 125 park visitors and 17 park staff in the visitor center as of late on Sunday. The visitor center has a restaurant to provide food, restrooms and water, and law enforcement officers are on hand to provide protection.
The search for the murderer continued into the night, with fixed wing aircraft using forward looking infrared to scan the ground. There are a more than 100 officers from a variety of agencies assisting with the manhunt for the shooter, including National Park Service, Pierce County Sheriff, FBI, Washington State Patrol, US Forest Service, City of Enumclaw, and Lewis County Sheriff.
Mount Rainier National Park will remain closed today.
Anderson served at Mount Rainier for four years. She is survived by her husband, also a park ranger at Mount Rainier, and by two young children.
Director Jarvis issued this statement early today:
"Yesterday morning, Park Ranger Margaret Anderson was shot and killed while making a traffic stop at Mount Rainier National Park. As I write this late Sunday night, the murderer is still at large in the park, which has been closed. We are working closely with the FBI and local law enforcement to protect visitors and staff and to track down Margaret's killer and bring him to justice.
"This is a heartbreaking, senseless tragedy. Margaret was just 34 years old. She and her husband Eric, who is also a park ranger at Mount Rainier, have two young children. Margaret was killed while doing her job - protecting the visiting public on one of the park's busiest days of the year.
"Last week, we mourned the death of U.S. Park Police Officer Mike Boehm, who suffered a heart attack while responding to a serious incident in Washington, DC. Mike left behind a wife and a son.
"Our hearts go out to both families, and I ask you to keep them in your thoughts and prayers in the hard days ahead.
"As updates from Rainier are available we will share them with all employees through InsideNPS. These losses are painful reminders of the risks faced by National Park Service employees every day. Please be careful out there and watch out for each other."
[Submitted by Lee Taylor, Chief of Interpretation and Education]
[Submitted by Lee Taylor, Chief of Interpretation and Education]
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