Bonney Lake officer among 2 killed in avalanche

A Bonney Lake police officer was among two people killed Saturday afternoon in an avalanche near Cle Elum, city officials announced.

Officer James Larsen, 41, and Zach Roundtree, 27, were killed about 1:30 p.m. after the avalanche hit them while they were snowmobiling near Esmeralda Peak. A third snowmobiler, Kyle Ottwell, 26, was critically injured and taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle by helicopter, while a fourth, Ryan Journey, 27, was slightly injured and able to free himself from the snow quickly.

Roundtree, Ottwell and Journey are all Bonney Lake residents.

Larsen, a Buckley resident, was a 14-year veteran of the Bonney Lake Police Department who previously worked for the Yelm Police Department. He is survived by his parents and two sisters.

This story was originally published March 4, 2018 at 7:51 AM with the headline "Bonney Lake officer among 2 killed in avalanche."