MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. — The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office has identified the deputy involved in a , in which a security guard and an armed man were killed.
Deputy Evann Flanagan, who joined the Sheriff’s Office in October 2022 after six years of prior law enforcement experience, was involved in the Sept. 27 incident. Flanagan serves as a patrol deputy, a member of the Sheriff’s Office Tactical Team and a drone operator.
said that 24-year-old Sethaniel Bunch died from a gunshot wound to the head. His death was ruled a suicide. Investigators said Bunch shot a hospital security guard before exchanging gunfire with Flanagan and was later found dead near his vehicle.
, died from multiple gunshot wounds. Her death was ruled a homicide. Family members and roller derby teammates described Bass as a devoted single mother, a loyal friend and “someone with a heart of gold.”
The shooting prompted responses from Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, Western Federation of State Employees President Mike Yestramski and the Washington State Department of Health and Human Services, all of whom expressed condolences to Bass’s family and the hospital community.
The Sheriff’s Office said its first interaction with Bunch occurred during a brush fire call on Sept. 27. Around 12:05 a.m., firefighters responded to a fire on East State Route 902, where a caller reported a man making unusual statements, including references to aliens. Firefighters requested deputies after the man acted aggressively, but he had left by the time they arrived.
Later that night, around 1:40 a.m., a caller reported a man with a rifle had entered a home near West Idaho Street and South Lake Drive in Medical Lake and fired shots. No one inside the home was injured. Deputies heard the shots but the suspect fled before they could respond.
At 1:54 a.m., an Eastern State Hospital employee reported that another staff member had been shot in the parking lot and might be dead. The suspect reportedly took the employee’s radio and transmitted statements about the army coming.
Deputies arrived and exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who was later found dead near a vehicle believed to be his. Authorities recovered a rifle, a handgun, tactical gear, ammunition and other equipment.
The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.
