Suspect killed in Federal Way standoff identified

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- The hit-and-run suspect who broke into a Federal Way home and holed up there for 11 hours before dying in a gunfight with police was identified Friday as Mitchell Nelson, 36.

The medical examiner said Nelson died from multiple gunshots in the torso. No police officers were injured.

The standoff in Federal Way was over, but the mess remained as the homeowner finally got back inside her home Thursday night.

The house is badly damaged, by Nelson having fired shots into the ceiling and by the police who were trying to get him out.

One of the homeowners was worried about her cat -- named Puppy -- who was inside at the time the man broke into the home; the homeowners were not there at the time.

While a Q13 News team was there, they found her pet cat. It looked like he had been hiding underneath the deck.

In the video, you can see the extensive damage in the house.

The insurance company says it might be three to six months before the family can live there again.

The daylong standoff ended Wednesday night when police found the suspect in the home's crawlspace. Police say the man fired at them and they fired back, striking him multiple times.

 

The son-in-law of one of the homeowners set up a Go Fund Me page to help cover the expenses of fixing the house.