Before he was taken off life support, deputy Kent Mundell's family gathered with him in his hospital room.
They had story time with him, and his wife stood by his side while doctors removed him from life support. At 5:04 p.m. Monday, the deputy died of his wounds.
"It's obvious that everybody was waiting for a miracle that didn't come," Pierce County Sheriff's Department spokesman Ed Troyer said in announcing Mundell's death.
Mundell, 44, and Sgt. Nick Hausner were shot Dec. 21 while responding to a domestic violence call near Eatonville. Hausner was treated and later released, but Mundell had been in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle since that night.
Mundell and Hausner were dispatched to the small house near Tanwax Lake after someone there called 911 to report that a man was "drunk and belligerent" and refusing to leave. David Edward Crable – who had a history of domestic violence – initially agreed to leave the home but later pulled out a pistol and opened fire. Mundell traded fire with Crable, killing him.
Troyer said the doctors made it clear that Mundell would not be able to survive without life support. His family decided it was time to say goodbye Monday afternoon.
"None of us are doing well," Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said. "This is somebody we know, somebody we worked with, somebody we have taken risks with and somebody who's backed us up."
In a statement, Gov. Chris Gregoire said, "Though his life was cut far too short by this act of violence, his memory will live on in the many people he protected and served. I stand with law enforcement from across the state as we honor this fallen hero."
"The entire Pierce County family is saddened tonight by the loss of sheriff's deputy Kent Mundell," Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy said in a statement. "We all struggle to understand why his life was taken in another senseless act of violence."
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