On Friday, Jan. 7, the King County Medical Examiner released the name of the man whom King County SWAT Team members shot and killed hours after he had barricaded himself and took three members of his family as hostage in their Algona home on Dec. 27.
According to the ME, 43-year-old Sorin Ardelean died of “gunshot wounds to the pelvis and lower extremities. “
The Independent Force Investigation Team of the Bellevue Police Department, which was handed the investigation into the officer-involved fatality, in accordance with state law, has its hands full trying to sort out what happened.
Meeghan Black, public information officer for the Bellevue PD and the IFIT, said the outcome of that investigation will determine whether any charges against officers will be forwarded to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s office.
Here is what happened, as summarized from the release provided by the Algona Police Department.
About 1 p.m. Dec. 27, Algona police officers were headed to a reported domestic violence situation with an “armed and suicidal” subject in the 200 block of Algona Boulevard South when they learned there was a current, court-issued, no-contact order against him.
When officers arrived at the property, they tried to contact a woman who was among the hostages. When that didn’t work, officers tried to get the hostages out, but the man fired at them, so they retreated to a safe place and called for backup, according to police.
Auburn, Kent, Des Moines, Federal Way and Tukwila police, and a behavioral health unit and hostage negotiation team, responded to the call, and police set up a safety perimeter around the property.
The hostage negotiation team talked with the man to end the situation peacefully, but after several hours of conversation and negotiation, team members determined that the hostages were still in danger, so police undertook a mission to rescue them, which succeeded without anyone getting hurt, according to police.
Following the rescue, officers encountered the suspect, and two Valley SWAT team members from Kent and Des Moines shot him. Despite the efforts of King County Medic One, the suspect died, and no one else was hurt in the incident, according to police.
Black said the IFIT will release public notifications weekly until the its investigation is finished.