PORT ANGELES – Parts of Olympic National Park remained closed overnight while authorities looked for a gunman.
According to social media posts from park officials, an individual who was considered armed and dangerous was last seen in the Deer Park area of the park. The search for the gunman prompted closure of the park at Heart O’ the Hills heading to Hurricane Ridge and at the Deer Park boundary Sunday morning. That closure remained all day and night Sunday.
Park officials say there have been no injuries reported, and law enforcement worked through the day yesterday to get visitors out of the closed areas.
The Park’s Public Affairs Officer released the following statement just after 1:00 Monday afternoon:
“As we manage this difficult situation, our first priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of our visitors, our staff, and our first responders.
In order to keep everyone safe, the areas of Deer Park and Hurricane Ridge will remain closed including the nearby wilderness camping areas and hiking trails.
The individual is believed to be from the local area and he is armed.
No injuries have been reported and no one has been directly threatened.
His last known location is the Deer Park area.
We are not aware of any immediate threat to local residents.
A multi-agency response is in place.
We have no additional information at this time. Updates will continue to be posted to the park Facebook and Twitter pages.”