Friday’s I-5 carjacking suspect was fatally shot at the scene, Thurston Coroner says
The man at the center of a Friday carjacking on southbound I-5 in Lacey that blocked the freeway for hours was shot and killed at the scene, the Thurston County Coroner says.
Coroner Gary Warnock reached out to The Olympian on Sunday because he was puzzled by Seattle media reports that the man was taken to an area hospital.
“He died at the scene,” Warnock said, adding that the man, thought to be in his 20s or 30s, had no identification with him. The Coroner’s Office is continuing to work to identify the man, he said.
After the shooting, the Washington State Patrol announced that one of its troopers was involved, so the investigation of the incident would be turned over to the Region 3 Critical Investigation Team, led by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The team has not provided further details.
What facts are known are: About 2 p.m. a semi-trailer was carjacked by the suspect and driven south on I-5. How he accomplished this is still not clear, although he managed to drive the truck a short distance before he crashed it. That was followed by a standoff between law enforcement and the suspect, and at some point, there was a shooting.
All lanes of the freeway were closed for hours during the investigation, according to the state Department of Transportation. Northbound lanes reopened about 5 a.m. Saturday, followed by the southbound lanes at 6 a.m.
This story was originally published November 20, 2022 at 12:14 PM.
