Here are the Pierce County deputies who exchanged gunfire with armed man in South Hill
Six Pierce County deputies who were involved in an exchange of gunfire with an armed man in South Hill in December were named Friday by the Pierce County Force Investigation Team.
The deputies are:
- Zach Spencer, 53, 25 years with PCSD
- Matt Hirschi, 47, 18 years with PCSD
- Tim Farrar, 38, 5 years 9 months with PCSD
- Grant Button, 28, 4 years 11 months with PCSD
- Edgar Ruiz, 34, 1 year 4 months with PCSD
- Casey Watkins, 24, 2 months with PCSD
On Dec, 19, deputies responded to reports of 38-year-old Jeffrey Brian McCreary allegedly firing shots from a rifle out the window of his Chevrolet Silverado in the area of 192nd Street East and 82nd Avenue East. Witnesses say McCreary allegedly shot a red truck about 10 times at 9:12 p.m, charging documents show.
Deputies found him entering the Crystal Pointe gated community, and McCreary allegedly accelerated towards them then passed at a moderate speed.
Prosecutors noted that the deputies were wearing full Sheriff’s Department uniforms with clear “police” markings. Their patrol vehicles were fully marked and equipped with police lights and sirens.
McCreary allegedly continued on, passing deputies in his truck. Deputies said they heard him fire his weapon twice and then three times, charging documents show.
Prosecutors wrote that the six deputies returned gunfire, striking McCreary’s truck multiple times. He sustained non-life threatening injuries and was taken to the local hospital. He has since recovered.
No deputies were hurt, according to a PCFIT news release.
A Palmetto SKS assault rifle and a pump shotgun were recovered in McCreary’s pickup. The weapons were empty. Several cartridge casings were found in the trunk, prosecutors wrote.
Prosecutors charged McCreary with one count of drive-by shooting, three counts of second-degree assault and two counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He is being held at Pierce County Jail on a $500,000 bail, court records show.
