Two people sent to hospital with serious gunshot wounds after shootout in Yelm

Two people were sent to the hospital on Thursday night after a shootout off Yelm Avenue West in Yelm. Police said the suspect is known to detectives, and there’s no threat to public safety.

Yelm Police Chief Rob Carlson said he was able to give only a brief synopsis of the incident because it’s still under investigation, and minors are involved. He said the incident happened at around 8 p.m. Feb. 6.

Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said on social media that TCSO assisted Yelm police with the response. He said two people were shot and subsequently transported with serious injuries, one requiring airlift.

Sanders said one of the vehicles involved has multiple reports of being associated with an armed drug dealer.

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

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Ty Vinson covers the City of Olympia and keeps tabs on Tumwater and other communities in Thurston County. He joined The Olympian in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at the Northwest Indiana Times, the Oregonian and the Arizona Republic as a Pulliam Fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription