Suspected drunken driver spins out near Eatonville, shoots himself in face
A suspected drunken driver shot himself in the face Sunday after spinning out his vehicle near Eatonville, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
The 24-year-old is listed in critical condition.
A family driving home from Alder Lake about 1:40 p.m. spotted the drunken driver’s car turn sideways in the 45400 block of Alder Cutoff Road and stopped to check on the driver.
The father left his wife and two children in their minivan and approached the other car, asking the driver if he needed help.
The driver told the man he was drunk and pulled a gun out from under his shirt, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.
The father asked the driver to put the handgun away and he initially did, but then allegedly reached into the car and started to load the weapon.
As the father told the other driver to stop and reached into the car, the suspected drunken driver hit the father in the head with the gun.
The father ran back to his minivan and seconds later, heard a gunshot.
Deputies arrived on scene and found the 24-year-old suffering from severe facial trauma but “was still functioning somewhat and appeared to going for another firearm,” Troyer said.
It took a few minutes of negotiating, but the suspect eventually put down the gun and was transported to an area hospital.
Investigators have not determined why the man shot himself or if the incident was an accident.
The family was not injured.
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 12:47 PM.
