Kent Police found a 55-year-old Federal Way man dead inside a Valley warehouse after responding Thursday, June 5 to reports of threats with a weapon by a recently fired employee at a business in the 6600 block of South 216th Street.
Multiple 911 callers reported that a recently terminated employee had entered the business, was brandishing a firearm and making threats toward employees, according to a June 5 Kent Police news release. It was also reported the man was carrying a gas can while making the threats.
Officers arrived and located the male suspect inside the warehouse portion of the building. He was reported to be non-compliant by officers and holding a firearm at his side, according to police. Officers reported that a fire had been set in the rear of the warehouse.
Officers later confirmed that multiple fires had been started and announced their withdrawal from the warehouse. Shortly afterward, the radio traffic included the transmission, “Shots fired,” according to police. The news release did not report whether the suspect, officers or both fired shots.
As fire and smoke conditions worsened, and after confirming that all employees had safely evacuated, officers fully exited the warehouse, according to police.
Puget Sound Fire and King County medics were dispatched to assist.
Due to the heavy smoke and uncertainty about whether active fires remained inside, officers deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to assess the interior. The suspect was located inside the warehouse, deceased.
Officers and Puget Sound Fire personnel worked to ventilate the building to allow for safe re-entry.
In accordance with standard protocol for incidents of this nature, the Valley Independent Investigation Team has been requested to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation, according to police.
Puget Sound Fire reported on X that it responded to the fire but firefighters initially were standing by while police secured the scene. Firefighters were able to enter the warehouse at about 2:50 p.m. and extinguished the remaining fire.
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