Two Spokane County sheriff’s deputies have died after being shot while attempting to rescue a woman who had reported being wounded inside a home in Washington state.
Mason Acheson and Parker Perry were ambushed on Tuesday as officers entered the property on Smythe Road. The suspect, 37-year-old Ryan Larsen, had allegedly shot his mother and sister before opening fire on the deputies, police said.
Acheson died from his injuries on Friday, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels announced. He leaves behind his wife and two children.
Perry was also critically wounded and remained on life support surrounded by his family before he died. He is survived by his wife and two children, while a third child is expected.
Sheriff Nowels said Perry was an organ donor and that arrangements were being considered. “He will continue to serve others with the gift of life,” he said.
Deputies entered home after woman was shot
Law enforcement was called to the property at about 2.25pm after Julie Larsen, Ryan Larsen’s sister, dialled 911 with a gunshot wound to the chest. She was taken to hospital with injuries believed to be non-life-threatening.
Deputies were concerned that Larsen might have access to further weapons and that other victims could still be inside. A SWAT team was called, and Perry joined the operation with his police dog, Brego.
The team approached the house at about 3.15pm and forced its way inside. Gunfire then erupted, striking both Perry and Acheson, before other members of the team returned fire.
The two deputies were pulled to cover and given medical treatment before being flown to hospital by Life Flight helicopters. A drone sent into the property later found that Larsen had died.
The Spokane County medical examiner determined that Larsen had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to reports. His mother, Suzanne Larsen, 72, and his sister Rebecca Larsen, 45, were also killed.
Larsen had been the subject of an active felony warrant. It stemmed from an incident in 2015 in which he allegedly pointed a gun at a dog walker on his property in Rosalia.
He was initially charged with second-degree assault but was later convicted of aiming or discharging a firearm and served ten days in jail. His appeal was dismissed in 2022, and the warrant was linked to a failure to appear in the case.
Tributes paid to Mason Acheson and Parker Perry
“Although we know our Deputies knew the risks, they bravely moved toward danger to protect others they did not know,” Nowels said.
He described the pair as “true examples of selfless service and dedication”, adding: “They are the epitome of what the men and women in law enforcement are; they are the best of all of us.”
Perry had served with the sheriff’s office for nearly seven years and had been a member of the Washington Army National Guard since 2017. He reached the rank of captain as a military intelligence officer and received two Army Commendation Medals and an Armed Forces Service Medal.
The sheriff’s office said Perry had responded to the incident “on his own, without prompting”, describing it as an example of how he placed the safety of others before his own.
Acheson joined the sheriff’s office in 2022 and was a firearms instructor, trained sniper and sergeant with the Washington Army National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment.
A fundraising appeal for Acheson described him as a devoted husband to Hannah and a loving father to their two sons. It said his life was rooted in faith and that his family’s “greatest joy was found in the life he shared with them”.
Washington National Guard Major General Gent Welsh said the two men had put others first and represented “the very best of public service”.
“They lived that commitment every day, wearing both a deputy’s badge and the Washington National Guard uniform,” he said. “They will be remembered for their courage, their commitment to others, and the lives they touched.”
