- Suspect Benjamin Colton Barnes, 24, believed to be hiding in the Park
- Also wanted for shooting of four people at New Year's Eve Party in Seattle
Victim: Margaret Anderson is a mother of two young daughters who has worked as a park ranger for four years
Officials closed the park after the shooting yesterday, and asked people to stay out of the area while they search for a man carrying a long rifle.
He is also the prime suspect in the shooting of four people at New Year's Eve party hours earlier in the south of Seattle - which left two people critically injured.
The female ranger, Margaret Anderson, 34, a married mother of two young girls, was shot as she stopped the suspect's car.
A 'strong person of interest' has been identified as Benjamin Colton Barnes, 24, an Iraq war veteran who is believed to have strong wilderness survival skills and is heavily armed.
Pierce County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ed Troyer said authorities recovered Barnes' vehicle, which had weapons and body armour inside.
Authorities believed the gunman was still in the woods with an assault rifle. They asked people to stay away from the park, and for those already there to leave.
Mr Troyer said there were about 100 people hunkered down in lodges and cabins on the mountain. They were told to stay put because they could be in the line of fire.
Armoured vehicles were being brought in to ferry them safely out of the park.
Mr Troyer said authorities were following tracks in the snow they believe are from the gunman, and crews planned to bring an airplane through the area with heat-seeking capabilities. He added: 'We believe we have a good track on him, but he's way ahead of us'...[Full Article]
Wanted: Benjamin Colton Barnes is believed to have gunned down a U.S. Forest Service ranger after shooting four people at a New Year's Eve house party
Location unknown: Iraq War veteran Benjamin Colton Barnes is wanted by the authorities
'Strong person of interest': Benjamin Colton Barnes, who cops say has a military background and strong wilderness survival skills, is also a suspect in an earlier shooting incident at a New Year's Eve party
