Mason Acheson and Parker Perry were shot as a SWAT team entered a house in Washington state where a woman said she had been shot. Both leave behind young families.
Two Spokane County sheriff’s deputies, both Army veterans, have died after being shot while trying to rescue a woman from a home in Washington state. Mason Acheson and Parker Perry were hit by gunfire when a SWAT team forced its way into the property on Smythe Road on Tuesday afternoon. Sheriff John Nowels said on Friday that Acheson had died the previous night, while Perry was on life support surrounded by his family. Perry has since died. The suspect, Ryan Larsen, 37, was found dead inside the house.
What happened on Smythe Road
According to Sheriff Nowels, officers went to the house at around 2.25pm after a woman said she had been shot in the chest. They found that Larsen had an active felony warrant for his arrest. Deputies were concerned that he might have access to more weapons and were unsure whether other victims were inside, the sheriff’s office said.
SWAT was called out. Perry, a K-9 deputy, joined the team with his dog Brego as it approached the home at about 3.15pm. After the team forced its way in, gunfire broke out and hit Perry and Acheson before the team fired back, the sheriff said. The two deputies were pulled to cover and given medical aid, then flown to hospital by Life Flight helicopters.
The female victim was taken to hospital with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries. Washington State Police said Larsen had barricaded himself inside. A drone sent into the house found that he was dead, according to State Patrol.
The Spokesman-Review reported that the Spokane County medical examiner found Larsen died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The newspaper also reported that two other people were killed, including his mother, Suzanne Larsen, 72, and his sister, Rebecca Larsen, 45.
“It was a very tragic day in Spokane County,” Sheriff Nowels said, according to the Spokesman-Review. “A lot of families have been affected.”
Deputy Mason Acheson
Mr Acheson, who died on Thursday night, is survived by his wife, Hannah, and their two sons. The sheriff said he “lost his valiant fight and succumbed to his injuries”.
The sheriff’s office said he was a trained sniper and a sergeant with the Washington Army National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment. He joined the sheriff’s office in 2022 as a firearms instructor. Sheriff Nowels said he “made the ultimate sacrifice for his country, community and fellow team members”.
The sheriff’s office said: “In the face of danger, he stepped forward to preserve life, and in this selfless act of bravery, he lost his life while trying to protect others.”
A GoFundMe set up for his family described him as “a devoted husband to Hannah, a loving father to their two young boys, and a man whose life was deeply rooted in faith”. It added: “Hannah and the boys are now facing the heartbreak of a future without him. As they navigate this unimaginable loss, our hope is to surround them with love, prayer, and support.”
Deputy Parker Perry
Mr Perry served with the sheriff’s office for nearly seven years. He had been in the Washington Army National Guard since 2017 and reached the rank of captain as a Military Intelligence Officer with the 81st Brigade’s 1-161st Infantry Battalion, the sheriff’s office said. He was awarded two Army Commendation Medals and an Armed Forces Service Medal.
He leaves a wife and two children and was expecting a third. The sheriff’s office said Mr Perry went to the incident “on his own, without prompting”, which it described as “an example of how he lived life, always prioritizing the safety of others before his own”.
Mr Perry was an organ donor. Sheriff Nowels said: “He will continue to serve others with the gift of life.” The sheriff’s office said that, though gravely injured, Mr Perry and his family chose to continue his “selfless service” by donating his organs “to ensure others in need across this region and country will live”.
The sheriff’s tribute
“Although we know our Deputies knew the risks, they bravely moved toward danger to protect others they did not know,” Sheriff Nowels said. He said they acted “with honor and with an unwavering sense of duty to their oath to serve and protect the citizens of Spokane County”.
He called the two men “true examples of selfless service and dedication”. “They are the epitome of what the men and women in law enforcement are; they are the best of all of us,” he said. “We cherish having served with them as we begin to process the devastating and unthinkable loss.”
