Rainier to remain closed until Saturday

Mount Rainier National Park will remain closed until Saturday morning to allow workers to grieve the death of ranger Margaret Anderson.

Anderson, a 34-year-old mother of two, was shot Sunday morning by a man who fled to the park after his involvement in another shooting in Skyway near Renton.

“Some (park employees) are very traumatized,” park spokeswoman Lee Taylor said. “We do not want to put them into a situation that causes further stress.”

As local and federal law enforcement officers continued to investigate Tuesday, the Pierce County medical examiner’s office determined the cause of death for Anderson and her shooter. Anderson was killed by multiple gunshots to her head and torso, based on the autopsy.

The shooter, Benjamin C. Barnes, drowned in Paradise Creek where his body was discovered Monday morning. Barnes, who was discovered wearing a T-shirt, jeans and one shoe, was also suffering from hypothermia, according to Pierce County’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Thomas Clark.

Also Tuesday, three specially trained National Park Service teams arrived at the park to support the 125 employees.

The five-person Critical Incident Stress Management Team addressed the entire staff Tuesday morning and will conduct one-on-one counseling. An 11-member law enforcement team will staff the entrances to the park. Another nine-member team will handle other park needs, including media relations.

The teams are comprised of people from as far away as Georgia, said park spokesman Kevin Bacher.

The support from these teams has been appreciated, he added.

“A lot of people here are shaken by this,” Bacher said.

This is the first park closure since flooding in 2006.

SKYWAY INCIDENT

King County sheriff’s investigators were trying to get Barnes to turn himself in in connection with the Skyway shooting early Sunday that left four injured.

According to a King County Sheriff’s Office press release, nine people were inside a home in the 6200 block of South 117th Place on New Year’s Eve.

“During the evening, there was a ‘show and tell’ of guns, and at midnight, at least two people fired multiple rounds into the air,” the news release states.

Nearly three hours later, one of the men at the party asked to see a gun that belonged to another person. The man looked at the gun, then refused to give it back when asked, the press release states. “A fight ensued and, at one point, at least two people pulled guns and a shootout ensued,” the press release states.

Four people were injured. Witnesses said Barnes was one of the gunmen who fired. Barnes and two others left the house. Detectives located the two others who had left the house and the detectives were working with Barnes’ family members “to convince him to come to the police to tell his side of the story,” the press release states. Detectives have not talked to the victims. “It is unclear at this point who shot first and who was shot by whom,” the press release states. Of the four shooting victims, two remain in critical condition. The other two are in stable condition.

Barnes arrived at Mount Rainier National Park before 10 a.m. on New Year’s Day and refused to stop at a checkpoint on the road to Paradise. The checkpoint was established to make sure cars had appropriate tires for winter travel in the park.

Ranger Dan Camiccia, who was working the checkpoint, gave chase and radioed for backup. Anderson responded and set up a roadblock below Paradise. At the roadblock, Barnes jumped from his car and fired at both ranger vehicles. Anderson was in her vehicle when she was shot. Camiccia was not shot and backed away.

After 90 minutes of shooting at rangers and law enforcement officers, Barnes ran into the woods. A 200-person manhunt ended the next morning when Barnes’ body was discovered partially submerged in Paradise Creek.

The park service’s incident management team was in contact with Anderson’s family Tuesday, Taylor said. The team is working with the family to determine how and when memorial services will be held.

“Details will be announced today at the earliest,” Taylor said.

Park officials anticipate visitors bringing flowers and other items to the park when it reopens Saturday morning. They will likely set up an area for those items in Longmire, Taylor said.

Craig Hill: 253-597-8497 craig.hill@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure

Staff writer Stacia Glenn contributed to this report.

FUND

Donations in lieu of flowers have been requested for Margaret Anderson’s family. An account in Anderson’s name has been established at KeyBank.