The Day That Will Not Be Forgotten
_The day was New Year's Day, it was set to be one of the busiest days of
the year for the rangers at the Mount Rainier National Park. Ranger
Margaret Anderson was on patrol making sure the park goers were kept
safe and were following all park safety regulations. Around or a little
after 10 a.m. PST a vehicle, being driven by Benjamin Colton Barnes,
sped off from another Park Ranger, firing shots at Ranger Dan Camiccia who was attempting to stop him for going
through a snow chain up checkpoint.
Ranger Anderson hearing this on the radio was ahead of the vehicle and set up a roadblock to intercept the suspect vehicle. The suspects vehicle then struck Ranger Anderson's patrol vehicle. The suspect then made a quick u-turn and open fired on Ranger Anderson striking her before she could exit her patrol vehicle. Ranger Anderson's back-up officer Ranger Dan Camiccia quickly radioed for help while a volley a shots were aimed his way, the suspect took off on foot. Nearby agencies quickly converged on the scene but were held at bay by the suspect who opened fired on responding officers. Officer's formed a team to attempt to reach Ranger Anderson, they made it to her but were unable to get her out due to the constant gunfire from the suspect. After several hours the officers were able to move her away from danger, unfortunately Ranger Anderson succumbed to her injuries.
Next started one of the biggest man hunts for the suspect. The national park which was 368-square miles was completely shut down, visitors on the mountain were huddled into a visitor center and told they had to stay put while being guarded by SWAT officers. Throughout the next 24 hours the goal was to catch the person responsible for this attack. As night drew closure on investigators and searching officers more equipment was brought it. Several planes were FLIR (forward looking infrared cameras) were combing the park looking for the heat signature of the suspect.
As the morning came the next day planes were able to spot a body laying face down in a creek. A SWAT team quickly converged on that location and found the body of Benjamin Colton Barnes. Upon initial investigation Barnes died from exposure to the elements found with one shoe on, levi-jeans, and a t-shirt. There was no violence observed on the suspects body. Police did recover a gun near the body. The search was concluded and the investigation is still on-going in the national park. More information will be posted as it comes in.
Ranger Anderson hearing this on the radio was ahead of the vehicle and set up a roadblock to intercept the suspect vehicle. The suspects vehicle then struck Ranger Anderson's patrol vehicle. The suspect then made a quick u-turn and open fired on Ranger Anderson striking her before she could exit her patrol vehicle. Ranger Anderson's back-up officer Ranger Dan Camiccia quickly radioed for help while a volley a shots were aimed his way, the suspect took off on foot. Nearby agencies quickly converged on the scene but were held at bay by the suspect who opened fired on responding officers. Officer's formed a team to attempt to reach Ranger Anderson, they made it to her but were unable to get her out due to the constant gunfire from the suspect. After several hours the officers were able to move her away from danger, unfortunately Ranger Anderson succumbed to her injuries.
Next started one of the biggest man hunts for the suspect. The national park which was 368-square miles was completely shut down, visitors on the mountain were huddled into a visitor center and told they had to stay put while being guarded by SWAT officers. Throughout the next 24 hours the goal was to catch the person responsible for this attack. As night drew closure on investigators and searching officers more equipment was brought it. Several planes were FLIR (forward looking infrared cameras) were combing the park looking for the heat signature of the suspect.
As the morning came the next day planes were able to spot a body laying face down in a creek. A SWAT team quickly converged on that location and found the body of Benjamin Colton Barnes. Upon initial investigation Barnes died from exposure to the elements found with one shoe on, levi-jeans, and a t-shirt. There was no violence observed on the suspects body. Police did recover a gun near the body. The search was concluded and the investigation is still on-going in the national park. More information will be posted as it comes in.