MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2009

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Sgt. MarkRenninger

Officer TinaGriswold

Officer Ron-ald Owens

Officer Greg-ory Richards

4 OFFICERS SLAIN;SEATTLE MANHUNT

THE FAMILIES

‘Outstanding’Lakewood

officers leavebehind 9 kids

See story > A7

HOW THEY DIED

2 were ‘flat-outexecuted’; theother 2 triedto stop killerSee story below

IN WASHINGTON

Subject of search,believed cornered

in Leschi home,has violent past

See story below

IN ARKANSAS

Lengthy prisonterm commuted

by then-Gov.Mike Huckabee

See story > A6

Seattle Times staff

Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-oldman wanted for questioning in the kill-ing of four Lakewood police officersSunday morning, has a long criminalrecord punctuated by violence, erraticbehavior and concerns about his men-tal health.

His criminal history includes at leastfive felony convictions in Arkansas andat least eight felony charges in Wash-ington. That record also stands out forthe number of times Clemmons hasbeen released from custody despitequestions about the danger he posed.

Mike Huckabee, while governor ofArkansas, granted clemency to Clem-mons nine years ago, commuting hislengthy prison sentence over the pro-

tests of prosecutors.“This is the day I’ve been dreading

for a long time,” Larry Jegley, prosecut-ing attorney for Arkansas’ PulaskiCounty, said Sunday night when in-formed that Clemmons was beingsought in connection with the killings.

In Pierce County, Clemmons hadbeen in jail for the past several monthson a child-rape charge that carries apossible life sentence. He was releasedfrom custody one week ago, eventhough he was staring at eight felonycharges in all.

Clemmons posted $15,000 with aChehalis company called Jail SucksBail Bonds. The bondsman, in turn, putup $150,000, securing Clemmons’ re-lease on the child-rape charge.

Clemmons moved to Washingtonfrom Arkansas in 2004. He was placedunder the supervision of the Washing-ton State Department of Corrections(DOC) for an Arkansas conviction, ac-cording to a department spokesman.

D E A N J . K O E P F L E R / T H E N E W S T R I B U N E

An aerial view shows the scene at Forza Coffee Company near Parkland on Sunday after four Lakewood police officers were shot dead in what authorities call an ambush.

Person of interest letout of Pierce Countyjail one week agoFACING 8 FELONY CHARGES,HE HAD BEEN HELD MONTHS

Prison time, at least5 convictions in Arkansas

See > CLEMMONS, A6

“This is the

day I’ve been

dreading for a

long time.”

LARRY JEGLEYProsecuting attorney

for Pulaski County in Arkansas

Officersmourned |Police seethemselves astargets again > A8

Shockedcommunityholds vigilhours aftershootings > A8

Seattle Times staff

A SWAT team and police negotia-tors surrounded a Leschi home in Se-attle late Sunday where the mansought in the Lakewood police shoot-ing may have been hiding.

Police surrounded the home at EastYesler Way and 32nd Avenue South,where a woman told them MauriceClemmons, 37, was on the propertyand bleeding, according to law-en-forcement sources.

The woman told police that some-one had dropped Clemmons off at thehome. The source also said police hadreceived tips about two other proper-ties they needed to search, in Seattle’sQueen Anne neighborhood and inRenton.

Police were trying to confirm thatthe man inside the Leschi home wasClemmons, said spokesman Jeff Kap-pel. Clemmons’ sister, Latanya Clem-mons, 34, said Sunday night that she

was driving to the Leschi area to try tofind out what is happening. She saidtheir aunt lives at the house where po-lice were focusing their attention.

Police told residents to stay indoorsand keep their doors locked.

See > SHOOTINGS, A7

Attack in Lakewood area worst on police in state

‘TARGETED ... AMBUSH’

Deadly attack camein coffee shop known

to police as ‘safe haven’

Source: ESRI, TeleAtlas

STEELE ST. S

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D. S.

S. TACO

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TULE LAKE RD. S.

MILITARY RD. S.

116TH ST. S.

112TH ST. S.

96TH ST. S.

Spanaway Lake

McChord Air Force Base

LAKEWOOD

PARKLAND

TACOMA5

MILE

10

Gunman kills four police officers

Forza Coffee Co.

THE SEATTLE TIMES

512

MauriceClemmons

A6 News MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2009 c 3 ROP

4 POLICE OFFICERS SLAIN

BY JIM BRUNNERSeattle Times staff reporter

Former Arkansas Gov. MikeHuckabee’s record of freeing crimi-nals from prison was controversialeven before news that the mansought for questioning in the killingof four Lakewood police officershad a lengthy prison sentence com-muted by Huckabee.

The one-time Republican presi-dential contender granted twice asmany pardons and commutationsas the previous three governors ofArkansas combined, The Associat-ed Press reported in 2007.

In all, he issued 1,033 pardonsand commutations during morethan 10 years as governor — an av-erage of about one every four days.

Maurice Clemmons faced dec-ades in prison for robberies andother charges when his sentencewas commuted by Huckabee in2000. Clemmons later was sentback to prison after violating pa-role, but was released again fiveyears ago.

Clemmons was released from jailin Pierce County seven days ago af-ter posting bond. He’d spent thepast several months in jail on acharge of child rape. His releasecame even though he faced sevenadditional felony charges in Wash-ington state.

Huckabee issued a written state-ment Sunday night through hisdaughter and spokeswoman, SarahHuckabee, saying the “senselessand savage execution” of the policeofficers “has saddened the nation.”

If Clemmons is found to be re-sponsible, Huckabee’s statementsaid, “it will be the result of a seriesof failures in the criminal justicesystem in both Arkansas and Wash-

ington state.”The statement

said Clemmonshad been recom-mended for com-mutation and thathis release was ap-proved by thestate paroleboard.

Huckabee notedthat Clemmonslater was arrestedfor parole viola-

tions but was released after prose-cutors failed to press new chargesthat could have kept him in prison.

“It appears that he has continuedto have a string of criminal and psy-chotic behavior but was not kept in-carcerated by either state. This is ahorrible and tragic event and iffound and convicted the offendershould be held accountable to thefullest extent of the law,” he said.

Huckabee’s clemencies became acampaign issue when he ran for the

Republican presidential nomina-tion last year. He was criticized byprosecutors and political rivals forreleasing prisoners who went on tocommit more crimes.

“It’s a crying shame that a sittinggovernor would be so insensitive tovictims’ rights,” Pulaski CountyProsecuting Attorney Larry Jegleytold an Arkansas newspaper, TheLeader, in 2004.

In one high-profile case, castrat-ed rapist Wayne DuMond was setfree by the Arkansas parole boardat Huckabee’s urging, according tonews accounts. DuMond later suf-focated a mother of three in Mis-

souri and was sentenced to life inprison, where he died in 2005.

A Southern Baptist preacher,Huckabee sometimes was motivat-ed to release prisoners at the urgingof pastors or other acquaintances,according to news accounts.

His clemencies also benefittedthe stepson of a staff member, andeven Rolling Stones guitarist KeithRichards, who received a pardonfor a 1975 traffic offense. Hucka-bee, who sometimes jammed onthe bass guitar with his band atcampaign events, pardoned Rich-ards after meeting him at a concert.

In an appearance on “Fox NewsSunday” — before the news aboutClemmons was out — Huckabeesaid another presidential bid in2012 is “less likely rather thanmore likely.”

Times reporter Susan Kelleher andresearcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to

this report, which also includes materialfrom The Associated Press.

Jim Brunner: 206-515-5628 orjbrunner@seattletimes.com

Huckabee commuted long termCLEMMONS FREED IN 2000

Former Arkansas governorissued 1,033 commutationsand pardons over 10 years

FormerArkansasGov. MikeHuckabee

“[If Maurice Clemmons is

responsible], it will be the result

of a series of failures in the

criminal justice system in both

Arkansas and Washington state.”

MIKE HUCKABEEStatement issued through his daughter

The DOC classified him as“high risk to reoffend.” Hissupervision was to continueuntil October 2015, thespokesman said.

He lives in Tacoma, wherehe has run a landscaping andpower-washing business outof his house. He is married,but the relationship has beentumultuous, with accounts ofhis unpredictable behaviorleading to at least two run-ins with police this year.

Clemmons punched aPierce County sheriff’s depu-ty in the face during one con-frontation, according tocourt records.

Two days later, at hishome, Clemmons allegedlygathered his wife and twoyounger relatives at around3 or 4 a.m. and had them allundress. He told them thatfamilies need to “be nakedfor at least five minutes onSunday,” a Pierce Countysheriff’s report says.

The family complied be-cause they were afraid ofClemmons and thought hewas growing increasingly er-ratic.

“The whole time Clem-mons kept saying things liketrust him, the world is goingto end soon, and that he wasJesus,” the report says.

The Sheriff’s Office inter-viewed Clemmons’ sister inMay. She said her brother “isnot in his right mind and didnot know how he could reactwhen contacted by law en-forcement,” a sheriff’s reportsays.

“She stated that he wassaying that the Secret Servicewas coming to get him be-cause he had written a letterto the president. ... She sus-pects he is having a mentalbreakdown,” the report says.

Family members also tolddeputies that Clemmonsclaimed he could fly and ex-pected President Obama tovisit to “confirm that he isMessiah in the flesh.”

While investigating this in-cident, deputies uncoveredevidence that led to a chargethat he had raped and mo-lested a 12-year-old relative.

Prosecutors in PierceCounty recently had request-ed a mental evaluation forClemmons at Western StateHospital. On Nov. 6, a judgeconcluded that Clemmonswas competent to stand trialon the child-rape and otherfelony charges, according tocourt records.

Long record in ArkansasNews accounts out of Ar-

kansas offer a confusing —and, at times, conflicting —description of Clemmons’criminal history and prisontime.

In 1990, Clemmons, then18, was sentenced in Arkan-sas to 60 years in prison forburglary and theft, accordingto a news account. Respond-ing to a circuit judge’s com-ment that Clemmons hadbroken his mother’s heart,Clemmons said, “I have bro-ken my own heart.”

Newspaper stories de-scribe a series of disturbingincidents involving Clem-mons while he was beingtried in Arkansas on various

charges. During one trial, he was

shackled in leg irons andseated next to a uniformedofficer. The presiding judgeordered the extra securitybecause he felt Clemmonshad threatened him, courtrecords show.

At other times, Clemmonswas accused of hiding a pieceof metal in his sock to use asa weapon; throwing a lock ata bailiff, and instead hittinghis mother; and reaching fora guard’s pistol while beingtransported to court.

Clemmons was arrestedwhen he was a junior in highschool for having a .25-cali-ber pistol on school property.Clemmons told police that he

brought the gun to school be-cause he had been “beatenby dopers” and that if theygot after him again, he had“something for them,” anewspaper account says.

When Clemmons receivedthe 60-year sentence, he al-ready was serving 48 yearson five felony convictionsand facing up to 95 moreyears on charges of robbery,theft and possessing a hand-gun on school property, ac-cording to a story in the Ar-kansas Democrat-Gazette.

Clemmons served 11 yearsbefore being released. Then-Governor Huckabee, whowas a Republican presiden-tial candidate in 2008, com-muted Clemmons’ sentence.He cited Clemmons’ youngage, 17, at the time thecrimes were committed, ac-cording to news reports.

Huckabee’s statementHuckabee, in a statement

released Sunday night, saidClemmons’ release fromprison had been reviewedand approved by the Arkan-sas parole board.

If Clemmons is found re-sponsible for the police kill-ings, “it will be the result of aseries of failures in the crimi-

nal-justice system in both Ar-kansas and WashingtonState,” Huckabee said.

After his release, Clem-mons remained on parole.Soon after, he found troubleagain. In March 2001, hewas accused of violating hisparole by committing aggra-vated robbery and theft, ac-cording to the Democrat-Ga-zette.

He was returned to prisonon a parole violation. But inwhat appears to have been amistake, he wasn’t servedwith the arrest warrants untilleaving prison three yearslater.

Clemmons’ attorney ar-gued that the charges shouldbe dismissed because toomuch time had passed. Pros-ecutors thereafter droppedthe charges.

On Sunday night, Clem-mons’ sister Latanya said herbrother is the second-oldestof six children.

“Maurice is a fairly goodperson, good heart,” shesaid. He came over to herplace on Thanksgiving forabout an hour and seemedfine, she said.

Clemmons’ maternalgrandmother, Lela Clem-mons, 82, of Marianna, Ark.,

said her grandson lived inMarianna when he wasyoung. Later, as a teen, helived in Little Rock, anotherrelative said.

“All I know is he is a prettygood guy,” Maurice Clem-mons’ grandmother said.

She said both of his par-ents died years ago. Hismother worked in a nursinghome, and his father was afactory worker.

Trouble at homeIn addition to the child-

rape charge, Clemmons facesseven felony charges and amisdemeanor count stem-ming from a May 9 distur-bance outside his home, ac-cording to a probable-causedeclaration.

When a Pierce Countysheriff’s deputy went toClemmons’ home at 12:45p.m., two men, Eddie LeeDavis and Joseph DentonPitts, were standing outside,the declaration says.

They told the deputy thatClemmons was inside thehouse.

But when the deputy triedto go in, Davis grabbed himby the wrist. Pitts joined in,and, while the three menstruggled, Clemmons ran out

of the house and punchedthe deputy in the face, thedeclaration says.

Another deputy arrived,and the two officers wereable to gain control overClemmons, Davis and Pitts.Both deputies suffered inju-ries during the fight, courtrecords say.

Afterward, neighbors tolddeputies that Clemmons hadbeen throwing rocks throughwindows and at cars. Oneresident was struck by a rockthat crashed through thewindow.

At least five cars and threehouses were damaged, in-cluding a car that belongedto Clemmons and his wife,the declaration says.

His wife “declined to com-plete domestic-violence pa-perwork,” the declarationsays, “but did tell deputiesthat she and Clemmons ar-gued over a newly discov-ered child and theorized thatthis argument precipitatedthe rampage.”

On Sunday, one neighborsaid the fight ended onlywhen an officer pulled a gunand threatened to shootClemmons. This same neigh-bor said one officer came tohis door afterward with ablack eye.

Clemmons moved into thehome a couple of years agoand had a number of loudparties, this neighbor said.

Another neighbor, a 70-year-old man, said thatClemmons threw rocksthrough two of his plate-glass windows. After he triedtalking to Clemmons, theneighbor walked away, onlyto have Clemmons throw arock that hit him in the hand,splitting it open.

Until that day, Clemmonshad been cordial and friendlyand never had given anyonetrouble, this neighbor said.

Contributors to this story includestaff reporters Susan Kelleher,

Jonathan Martin, Ken Armstrong,Steve Miletich, Jennifer Sullivan,

Mike Carter and Jim Brunner, andnews researchers Gene Balk andMiyoko Wolf. Jonathan Martin:

206-464-2605 orjmartin@seattletimes.com.

E L L E N M . B A N N E R / T H E S E A T T L E T I M E S

A police officer stands near the Tacoma house of Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old former Arkansas man wanted for questioning in the killing offour Lakewood officers near Parkland on Sunday morning.

< ClemmonsFROM A1

MAN SOUGHT WAS LETOUT OF JAIL WEEK AGO

Sister told police he’s‘not in his right mind’

C L I F F D E S P E A U X / T H E S E A T T L E T I M E S

Police surround a house in Seattle’s Leschi neighborhood Sunday night. A woman leavingthe home told them Maurice Clemmons was there and bleeding, a source said.

Clemmons’ recordin Washington state

In July, Maurice Clemmonswas arrested and chargedwith raping and molesting a12-year-old female relative inMay. The arrest occurredwhen he was seen in a PierceCounty courtroom,attempting to quashwarrants from othercharges. He was held in thePierce County Jail until hisrelease last Monday afterposting a $150,000 bond.

In May, Clemmons wasarrested on two counts ofthird-degree assault and fivecounts of second-degreemalicious mischief stemmingfrom an incident whenPierce County sheriff’sdeputies responded to adisturbance report.Clemmons allegedlypunched a deputy in theface, while the officers werestruggling with two othermen. Neighbors saidClemmons also had beenthrowing rocks throughwindows and cars,damaging at least five carsand three houses.

Source: Pierce CountySuperior Court

3 ROP MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2009 News A7

4 POLICE OFFICERS SLAIN

More than 12 hours earlier, po-lice had converged on an upscalecoffee shop in Pierce County, ahangout for officers that becamethe scene of the deadliest attack onlaw enforcement in state historySunday.

Four Lakewood officers — threemen and one woman — were shotand killed at 8:15 a.m. as they satworking on their laptops at ForzaCoffee Company in nearby Park-land. The first two officers were“flat-out executed,” while the thirdtried to stop the gunman and thefourth fired at him, according toPierce County sheriff’s spokesmanEd Troyer.

Those killed were identified asSgt. Mark Renninger, 39, and offi-cers Ronald Owens, 37, Tina Gris-wold, 40, and Gregory Richards,42.

Authorities were seeking Clem-mons, from Tacoma, as a “person ofinterest” they wanted for question-

ing.“We have evidence to believe he

was here, in this area,” Troyer said.A $120,000 reward was offered

for information leading to an arrestin the deaths. The Pierce Countytipline is 866-977-2362.

Clemmons has a long criminalrecord in Arkansas and Washing-ton. He was released from custodyin Pierce County just a week ago,and was facing a charge of raping achild. Family members describedhim as being in a state of mentaldeterioration. Last spring, he wasalso accused of punching a sheriff’sdeputy in the face.

Sunday’s shootings came as offi-cers from across the state were stillcoming to terms with last month’sambush-slaying of Seattle policeOfficer Timothy Brenton. The twoincidents do not appear related, po-lice said.

The coffee shop, in a strip mallacross the street from McChord AirForce Base, is favored by officersfrom several nearby jurisdictions.

Troyer said the scruffy-lookinggunman entered the shop, walkedpast the officers and three or fourother customers, and approachedthe counter.

A young barista asked the man ifshe could help him, according to

Humberto Navarrete, 51, who livesnearby and later spoke to the baris-ta. The man stared at the baristawithout saying a word and thenopened his coat, revealing a hand-gun, Navarrete said.

The barista and another femalebarista on duty ran out the back, ac-cording to Navarrete. The gunmanturned and started shooting at theofficers, he said, quoting the women.

“This was a targeted, selectiveambush,” Troyer said.

The officers, who made up onepatrol unit, were regulars at thecoffee shop. They were wearingbulletproof vests and were prepar-ing to start their day shift, Troyersaid.

The first two officers apparentlyhad no time to react. The third offi-cer stood up and tried to go for thegunman before being shot, Troyersaid. The fourth officer struggledwith the gunman, wrestled him outthe door and managed to fire offsome shots before he, too, waskilled, Troyer said.

It’s not clear if the gunman wasinjured by gunshots.

“It’s carnage out front every-where,” Troyer said, describing thefront of the coffee shop. “It’s like abad horror movie, it’s horrible.”

Navarrete, a financial manager

who lives a block from the coffeeshop, said he was in a nearby AM-PM minimart Sunday morningwhen the two baristas from the cof-fee shop ran into the store cryingand upset.

Brad Carpenter, CEO of ForzaCoffee, met with the two young ba-ristas after they were interviewedby police and said they were shak-en up.

The slain officers were “well-known to our staff,” said Carpenter,a retired police officer from Oak-land, Calif., and Gig Harbor.

“It’s supposed to be a safe havenfor everybody,” he said of the cof-fee shop.

When the 911 calls started com-ing in, officers from several juris-dictions raced to the area.

“I have never seen this manyscramble to a particular spot, ever,”said David Gabrielson, 27, whoworks as clerk at a gas station nearthe coffee shop.

An apparent hoax came when aman called 911, claiming to be theshooter. Police took the man intocustody at a Parkland house, but hewas not linked to the crime.

A second likely hoax came after aTacoma man called his girlfriendand falsely claimed responsibilityfor the shooting, Troyer said. The

man has since been arrested on sus-picion of obstructing a police inves-tigation. His call had sparked asearch at Evergreen Self Storage.

Heavily armed police on Sundaysurrounded the Tacoma home ofClemmons’ wife, not far from theshooting scene.

Troyer said police found a GPSankle bracelet during a search of ahouse where Clemmons was be-lieved to have been staying. Clem-mons was required to wear an an-kle bracelet under terms of his re-cent release.

The shootings rank as the worstattack on law enforcement in statehistory. Three Seattle police wereshot and killed by a gunman inJanuary 1921.

Carpenter, the Forza CEO, saiddonation boxes to help the familiesof the slain officers will be in placetoday at all 22 Forza stores inWashington and Colorado, andthat information would be placedon the company Web site aboutmaking contributions.

Seattle Times staff reporters Sara JeanGreen, Mike Carter, Steve Miletich,

Jonathan Martin, Nick Perry, JenniferSullivan and Christine Clarridge and news

researchers Miyoko Wolf and Gene Balkcontributed to this report.

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 ornperry@seattletimes.com

E R I K A S C H U L T Z / T H E S E A T T L E T I M E S

Central Pierce Fire & Rescue Capt. A. Dulas salutes during a procession that escorted the officers’ bodies to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office in Tacoma.

< ShootingsFROM A1

ATTACK IN ‘SAFE HAVEN’

Not clear if gunman was injured

BY JACK BROOM, LYNDA V. MAPES,BOB YOUNG AND SUSAN KELLEHERSeattle Times staff reporters

The four victims of Sundaymorning’s shooting were veteranofficers who brought a range of tal-ents to the fledgling Lakewood Po-lice Department when it was cre-ated in 2004, according to Lake-wood Police Chief Bret Farrar.

“This is a very difficult time forour families and our officers,” hesaid. “Please keep our families andLakewood Police in your prayers.”

The slain officers “all have beenoutstanding professionals,” he add-ed.

Officer Tina GriswoldTina Griswold, 40, joined the

Lakewood PoliceDepartment in2004 and earlierthis year won itsLifesaving Award.

“She was likableand enjoyed life,”said her former fa-ther-in-law, Car-roll Kelley of Shel-ton, Mason Coun-ty.

She and Kelley’sson met when both were studentsat Shelton High School, Kelley said.Griswold became a police officer af-ter they divorced, he said.

She remarried and is survived byher husband, a daughter, 21, and ason, 8, police and relatives said.

She previously worked as a po-lice officer in Shelton for threeyears, public records show. Shewas an officer and SWAT teammember for the Lacey Police De-partment from 1998 to 2004, ac-cording to Sgt. Scott Eastman, herformer supervisor. The group wasresponsible for serving high-riskwarrants and conducting high-risk

entries, he said.“Tina was an outstanding offi-

cer,” Eastman said. “She was veryassertive, and had no fear in deal-ing with high-risk situations andsuspects that were larger than her.She had this presence about herthat was in charge and you weregoing to do what she said. She hadthe verbal skills and the confidenceto pull it off.”

Griswold was avid about physicalfitness, and lifted weights and ranregularly, Eastman said. She stoodabout 5 feet and weighed less than100 pounds.

“She could do 30 to 40 pull-ups,”Eastman said. “A lot of the guyswere talking about that this morn-ing. We’d always joke that shedidn’t have much to lift.”

Griswold was one of the firstmembers of Lacey’s tactical team,and the first woman to hold the job,Eastman said.

“She was a very hard worker andjust a fun person to work with,” hesaid. “She spent most of her freetime with family. ... That was herpriority.”

Although she left Shelton to jointhe Lacey department, she stilllived in town and would run intoher former colleagues.

“The young officers looked up toher,” Eastman said. “And she was agreat partner for the experiencedofficers. She knew what she wasdoing.”

Lacey officers are still in shockover the news, he said, adding,“We’re looking for an opportunityto honor her and her family.”

Officer Gregory RichardsHe was known as one of the

sweet guys, the one everyone likedto work with.

Gregory Richards, 42, of Grahamhad eight years of law-enforcementexperience, starting with work as apatrol officer in Kent.

He worked there from Septem-ber 2001 until October 2004, be-fore hiring on with the LakewoodPolice Department.

The Kent department was goingthrough layoffs because of budgetcuts, and Richards sought a more

secure situationfor his family, saidLt. Lisa Price, pub-lic-information of-ficer for the Kentdepartment.

“He was a verywell-respectedand well-liked co-worker, and whenhe left we weresad to see him go,”Price said. “People

loved working alongside him. Ifirmly believe Greg would still bewith Kent if we hadn’t been goingthrough layoffs.

“He was just a nice, cute, angelicguy.”

He had a lighter side too. Rich-ards was the drummer in an all-po-lice officer rock band called LockedDown. The band played at socialgatherings, including a recent po-lice officers’ motorcycle rally inOcean Shores.

The killing was devastatingnews. “It was a complete shock tomy system, it’s a horrific crime andit hits close to home,” Price said.

Richards is survived by his wife,Kelly, a daughter and two sons.

“Everyone is just here,” said Me-lanie Burwell, a sister-in-law an-swering the door at Richards’home. “We are staying together.”

Burwell said she last saw Rich-ards at Thanksgiving. “It was won-derful,” she said, fighting tears. “Allhe ever wanted was his family. Hedidn’t want to do anything but bewith them.

“If there were more people in thisworld like Greg, nothing like thiswould ever happen.”

Sgt. Mark RenningerA decorated veteran officer and

popular law-enforcement instruc-tor, Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, is sur-vived by his wife and three chil-dren.

“Mark was a professional, dedi-cated police officer who made theultimate sacrifice. More important-ly, he was a loving and devoted fa-ther, husband and family memberwho will be missed by many,” saidRenninger’s brother, Matt, on astatement published on the Website of WFMZ-TV in Pennsylvania’sLehigh Valley, where Renningergrew up.

He joined the Tukwila Police De-partment shortly after leaving mili-tary service in 1996. He was a pa-trol officer, a SWAT team memberand was, for a time, president ofthe Tukwila police officers’ guild.

“Mark was an outstanding policeofficer and a well-liked member ofthe department during his timewith us,” said a statement issued by

the Tukwila PoliceDepartment.

He moved tothe Lakewood de-partment in 2004.According to theprogram for astate 2008 law-en-forcement confer-ence, Renningerwas an instructorin SWAT coursesand served as an

instructor for courses in firearms,chemical munitions and patrol re-sponsibilities.

On a Facebook tribute page setup by his relatives Sunday, morethan 1,000 message of tribute wereposted by early evening.

Among the postings was onefrom Rick Fisher, who said hecoached Renninger’s daughter infastpitch softball two seasons ago.“Mark was a fun and compassion-

ate man,” Fisher wrote. “He was al-ways willing to help me and thegirls out when he could. He was atremendous help.”

Officer Ronald OwensFriends describe Ronald Owens,

37, as a dedicated officer and de-voted father. He was also an “idealtenant,” said Toni Strehlow, whomanaged a property Owens rented,

a house with awhite-picket fencenear downtownPuyallup.

“When he rent-ed from us, thefirst thing he didwas replace wallsand a patio doorand he nevercharged us, neverwanted a rent de-duction. He just

wanted to do for people,” saidStrehlow.

He was a good neighbor, too,said Charley Stokes who lived nextdoor to him in Puyallup. “We’d talkover the back fence, have a beeronce in a while.”

Owens, who was divorced, wasvery proud of his daughter, he said.

Strehlow and Stokes said Owenswas excited about going from hisjob as a State Patrol trooper to theLakewood Police Department in2004, saying Owens looked for-ward to more regular hours andbetter advancement opportunities.

Strehlow said she was speechlesswhen she heard the news. “It’s justwrong. He was truly an unforgetta-ble man and a kind, kind person.”

Owens went into police work be-cause his father, who died in 2006,was a detective, according to aneighbor, Edie Wintermute.

Owens checked in on her hus-band after surgery, she said. “Hewas a good father and very caringguy.”

Veteran officers were parents, tooTHE OFFICERS |

Officer TinaGriswold

Officer Greg-ory Richards

Sgt. MarkRenninger

Officer Ron-ald Owens

A8 News MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2009 1 ROP

4 POLICE OFFICERS SLAIN

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BY JENNIFER SULLIVANSeattle Times staff reporter

The slayings of four Lakewood policeofficers Sunday came just as policeacross the region were starting to refo-cus and regain some sense of normalcyafter the ambush killing of a Seattleofficer a month ago.

Seattle Assistant Police Chief NickMetz said laughter and a sense of rou-tine had returned to police headquar-ters in recent days, something that hadbeen missing in the weeks after OfficerTimothy Brenton was slain and hispartner wounded on Halloween night.

But with four more officers killed inLakewood — believed to be the highestnumber of police deaths in a single actin state history — law-enforcement offi-cers and their families again are re-minded that their badges can be viewedby some as targets.

“My first thought was, ‘Oh, my God,it’s too close to the Brenton situation,’ ”Port of Seattle Police Chief Colleen Wil-son said. “We’re going to put peoplethrough all of that stress again.”

Brenton, 39, and rookie Officer BrittSweeney were seated in their patrol carin Seattle’s Leschi neighborhood Oct.31 when another vehicle pulled up nextto them and someone opened fire.Brenton was killed immediately, andSweeney suffered minor injuries.

Police shot and arrested ChristopherJohn Monfort outside his Tukwilaapartment six days after the attack.Monfort, 41, has been charged with ag-gravated murder and numerous othercharges.

King County sheriff’s spokesman Sgt.John Urquhart and other law-enforce-ment officials say the most disturbingthing is that Brenton and the Lakewoodofficers were wrapped up in routine el-

ements of their jobs: doing paperwork,grabbing a cup of coffee and talkingwith fellow officers.

Authorities say the slain officers werenot targeted individually but attackedbecause they were police.

“This is not about responding to arobbery, a D.V. [domestic-violence]call, or any other call we consider dan-gerous. These are four people havingcoffee on a Sunday morning at 8 a.m.,”Urquhart said of Sunday’s shootings. “Itcould have been anybody.”

Mountlake Terrace Assistant PoliceChief Pete Caw said he plans to hold adebriefing this morning to remind hisofficers of the importance of “never let-ting your guard down” and focusing onsafety even in public places.

“Guys were gathering at coffee andhaving a social moment together, andthis thing walks in from the front door.It’s just terrible,” Caw said.

Wilson likened Sunday’s shootingsand Brenton’s slaying to a type of“racial killing” based on prejudice.

“They’re a bias that solely because ofthe uniform you are wearing you arebeing attacked. It’s not what we do, butit’s who we are,” said Wilson, who alsoserved as police chief in Monroe andSumner. “Short of losing one of my chil-dren, I couldn’t imagine a pain moredifficult than losing one of the officersI’m charged with taking care of.”

Urquhart called the five officer slay-ings “an assault on society.”

“We stand between guys like this andthe rest of society,” he said. “When weare attacked like this, like TimothyBrenton was and these four law-en-forcement officers were, this is an at-tack on everybody.”

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 orjensullivan@seattletimes.com

E R I K A S C H U L T Z / T H E S E A T T L E T I M E S

Police officers talk near Parkland on Sunday after four Lakewood po-lice officers were shot to death at a coffee shop earlier in the day.

LAW-ENFORCEMENT REACTION |

After Seattle slaying,another stressful hit

BY CHRISTINE CLARRIDGESeattle Times staff reporter

Several hundred people gath-ered outside Champions Centrechurch in Tacoma on Sundayevening, part of a candlelightvigil for the four officers whowere slain in the morning inParkland.

Prayers were offered for theLakewood police officers, theirfamilies, and the shocked andgrieving community.

The pastors spoke of the needfor hope in the face of tragedy,and challenged the gatheredpeople to commit their lives tosomething meaningful.

“Let’s ask how we can lovemore, be better parents, andhow we can be better citizens,”said lay speaker Eric Van Al-stine.

Pastor Kevin Gerald said thatwhile none of the officers were

members of the congregation,the church was moved to holdthe vigil in support of otherchurch members who are in thelaw-enforcement and firefight-ing community.

“We hope in a time like thisthe church can be there for theneeds of community,” Geraldsaid.

Stephanie James, a churchmember and the wife of a Lake-wood police officer, cried whilethe crowd sang “AmazingGrace.” She said she was atchurch Sunday morning whenshe learned of the shootings.

“We were just flabbergasted,”she said. “There are no wordsthat I can come up with to ex-plain.”

Enumclaw police Officer TonyRyan was among the half-dozen

or so officers who attended. Af-terward, he and his colleagueswere surrounded by throngs ofpeople who wanted to hug themor shake their hands and thankthem for their service.

The gratitude was appreciatedbut it didn’t take away the pain,Ryan said. “It doesn’t matterwho it is or what agency, we’re abig family and this hurts.”

Other community membersleft flowers and cards of condo-lences and appreciation near thescene of the shooting.

One poster taped to a utilitypole was decorated with a draw-ing of a police badge with ablack band across the badge.The poster read, “We love you!Our prayers are with you!”

Seattle Times reporter Sara Jean Greenand news researcher Miyoko Wolf

contributed to this report. ChristineClarridge: 206-464-8983 orcclarridge@seattletimes.com

CANDLELIGHT VIGIL |

Shocked communitygrieves for officers

E L L E N M . B A N N E R / T H E S E A T T L E T I M E S

Stephanie James, center, wife of a Lakewood police officer, joins a vigil at Champions Centrechurch in Tacoma. James said she was at church Sunday morning when she heard about theshootings. “We were just flabbergasted. There are no words that I can come up with to explain.”

TEARS, PRAYERSAND CALLS FOR HOPE

Hundreds gatherat Tacoma church

hours after shootings

WEB EXTRA

See a photo galleryFor more photos and newsupdates about the case, see seattletimes.com

“It doesn’t matter

who it is or what

agency, we’re a big

family and this hurts.”

TONY RYANEnumclaw police officer

attending candlelight vigil