A 911 call just after noon on Monday drew in law enforcement personnel from across the county, ending in the death by suicide of a man.
Sheriff's deputies from the Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the 1300 block of Ocean Beach Road, not far from Copalis Crossing, after a caller reported a man had shot and killed himself, said a social media post from Undersheriff Kevin Schrader.
At that time, Schrader said in an email, no one was dead.
A second caller, a woman, called 911 shortly after, saying that a man at the same location was having a mental health crisis and required assistance. She also reported the man, located in a trailer, was heavily armed, according to the social media post.
The residence was relatively isolated, Schrader said, with no close neighbors.
Deputies arriving on-scene attempted to contact the man, the post said, before hearing two gunshots from the trailer. Deputies evacuated the other two residents from the area, but the man fired a .45 caliber handgun the deputies, hitting a patrol vehicle with a round.
The Crisis Response Unit and their armored vehicle was dispatched to the scene, arriving around 1:30 p.m., while other departments from around the area, including Hoquiam, Aberdeen and Montesano, as well as the Washington State Patrol, reinforced the sheriff's office. Washington Department Fish and Wildlife officers blocked off the road in the area to traffic to maintain the safety of the public.
"We had over 20 local officers (eight from the sheriff's office) respond to the scene to help with everything from scene security, negotiating, to shutting down the roadways," Schrader said. "Several were called in on overtime to deal with the situation."
Deputies communicated with the subject by phone until the conversation abruptly ended, said the post. The Crisis Response Unit closed on the trailer and found the man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the post.
The incident stands in marked contrast to a standoff that had occurred just hours earlier that day, where responders talking to a man experiencing a crisis in Hoquiam who had barricaded himself in a garage and attempted to set a fire were able to de-escalate the situation and transport the man for mental healthcare at Harbor Regional Health without violence.
Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or having suicidal ideation is strongly encouraged to call 988, the Suicide Prevention Hotline, for assistance, Schrader said. It's never a bad idea to check in with friends and family having a rough time.