Friends in Yelm grieve over slain Pierce County deputy Daniel McCartney



TACOMA, Wash. -- Pierce County deputy Daniel McCartney, a 34-year-old Navy veteran and married father to three young boys, was fatally shot during a foot chase late Sunday as he responded to a home invasion near the small community of Frederickson.

Authorities appealed to the public for help Monday in tracking down a man believed to have been involved in the deadly shooting of a sheriff's deputy overnight. One suspect was found dead at the scene, but another got away, authorities said.

"There's a sadness that will be felt and should be felt in the community," said Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor. "He is a young deputy who signed up to watch over other people. He had an ethic in his heart for doing something for other people."



McCartney, of Yelm, leaves behind a wife and three children, ages 4, 6 and 9.

When people in Yelm talk about McCartney, they talk about his service to country; he served in the Navy; to community, as a law enforcement officer in Hoquiam, then Pierce County; and to his town, which was grieving Monday night.

McCartney worked as a coach at the Crossfit Gym in Yelm.

"I don't know how to process this or how to deal with it," said gym owner Annie Malone.  "He was a great dad, great husband, loved his wife. He loved his kids. It's hard to believe."

Nick Jakovac coached with McCartney and the two found solace working out together. He said McCartney set an example of how to be a model husband and father.

"I feel so sorry for his family -- and his three little boys," Jakovac said. "I can't imagine not growing up, it's hard."

McCartney grew up in California. He joined the Navy, which included a tour in Afghanistan, and then entered law enforcement. In 2009, he joined the Hoquiam Police Department and then joined the Pierce County Sheriff's Department in 2014.

At the New Life Christian Center in Yelm, where McCartney attended church with his family, Mical Gaynor said, "The one thing I think about him is his calm demeanor and kind-hearted (ways) and it showed in his kids as well, so he will be missed."

"Pierce Co Sheriff's Deputy Daniel McCartney #484

EOW 1/8/18

34 yrs old, survived by wife & 3 young sons

#PCSD since 2014, previously Hoquiam PD officer, Navy veteran

Deputy, Father, Husband, Son, Friend, Brother. Hero.

We are heartbroken but steadfast in our pursuit of justice."




McCartney was hired at the sheriff's department in 2014 after stints with police departments in the small Washington state cities of Aberdeen and Hoquiam.

Sheriff's spokesperson Det. Ed Troyer said anyone who would like to help McCartney's family can donate to the Deputy Daniel McCartney Legacy Fund at Tapco Credit Union, or by donating online through Crime Stoppers of Tacoma-Pierce County.



After the shooting, McCartney was taken to a Tacoma hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His family members and dozens of law enforcement officers gathered at the hospital to say goodbye.

More than a dozen officers and deputies saluted as McCartney's body was carried from the hospital in a flag-draped coffin and loaded into a van.

‘RIP, brother’: First-responders offer condolences after death of Deputy McCartney