KIRO is reporting that the shootout between Normandy Park Police and a felony warrant suspect in Burien on Monday afternoon, July 29, is connected to the tragic death of a 3-year old child in Normandy Park on Saturday.

KIRO said that the suspect involved in the shooting with police is Jeffery D. Hamlet, 30, the father of the 3-year old, and that the murder suspect is William Henry Johnson III, 28, the boyfriend of the child’s mother.

As we previously reported:

  • Police say that on Monday afternoon, two Normandy Park police officers were notified that a suspect they were looking for in a felony harassment investigation had been seen in Burien.
  • At approximately 3:44 p.m. they spotted the suspect, a 30-year old black male from Seattle, at a gas station at S. 160th and 1st Ave. S. in Burien.
  • When they attempted to take him into custody, he fled, and ran through a busy parking lot and across 1st Ave. S. before becoming trapped in a fenced area.
  • The suspect drew a pistol and fired numerous shots at the officers. The officers returned fire and the suspect was struck on the side of his head, causing a minor injury.
  • The suspect ran away from the officers to a nearby fast food drive through lane. He pointed his gun at two occupants of a vehicle, demanded they get out, and drove off in that vehicle.
  • A King County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted the vehicle and attempted to stop it by activating his emergency lights and siren. The suspect attempted to elude the deputy, struck a dividing barrier, and was unable to continue driving.
  • The suspect brandished a firearm in the direction of the deputy, and a brief standoff ensued and the suspect was taken into custody without incident.

The suspect cooperated with KCSO Major Crimes detectives. The suspect was booked into SCORE jail for:

  • Investigation Assault
  • Investigation Robbery
  • Investigation Kidnapping
  • Investigation Unlawful Possession of a Firearm
  • Investigation Vehicle Theft

The Normandy Park police officers are on paid administrative leave which is standard procedure. One of the officers is a white male in his 40s and is a 16-year veteran. The other officer is a white female in her 40s with one year at Normandy Park PD.

Since 2007, The B-Town Blog is Burien’s multiple award-winning hyperlocal news/events website dedicated to independent journalism.