A man who shot himself as he was surrounded by sheriffs deputies outside a Tenino-area restaurant last night is in the intensive care unit at a Seattle hospital this morning, according to the Thurston County Sheriffs Office.
J.D. Jones Barton, 22, of Olympia, fired his gun at his own leg and then his stomach, ending about 20 minutes of detectives attempting to take him into custody.
Barton was being sought for his alleged role in a shooting east of Lacey the night before that injured two men in their 20s.
Detectives had staked out some locations, including the Powder Keg Bar and Grill on Old Highway 99, according to sheriffs Lt. Chris Mealy. When he arrived to the establishment about four miles north of Tenino and was confronted, Barton was armed, Mealy said.
He was holding a gun to his head or neck and walked over to the railroad tracks, Mealy said. Then he fired his weapon twice.
Mealy said he didnt know why Barton shot himself, other than he had a warrant from the state Department of Corrections and was wanted for the Sunday night shooting in the Tanglewilde area.
The identities of the two male victims in that shooting have not been released. One was in his early 20s and the other was in mid-20s, Mealy said. Both have been treated and released from the hospital.
One of the victims is what Mealy called a known gang member. Mealy said he didnt know which gang the man was believed to belong to, but said it was a Hispanic gang.
Detectives initially thought that dispute was over property, but now they are not sure of that, Mealy said.
Sharyn L. Decker covers law enforcement, local fire departments and the courts for The Chronicle. She may be reached by e-mail at sdecker@chronline.com, or by telephoning 807-8235.
