An Everett Police officer was shot and killed Friday, March 25. Officers ultimately located the suspect’s vehicle who ran over the officer’s body while fleeing the scene. Police pursued the suspect. The chase ended in a collision. The 50 year old suspect was taken into custody according to Snohomish County officials.
Officer Dan Rocha was shot and killed after an altercation with a suspicious man in a Starbucks parking lot. Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and Everett police provided information to the public. A release identified the late officer as 41-year-old Dan Rocha. Officer Rocha started out as a parking enforcement officer in 2017. He moved up to a fully commissioned officer in 2018.
The suspect was transported to the hospital for a medical evaluation and when he is released he will be booked into the Snohomish County Jail, police said. Snohomish County has not released the name of the 50-year-old man.
According to statistics reported to the government statistics, 59 police officers were killed in the line of duty from January 1, 2021, to September 30, 2021. That is a 51 percent increase in the number of police officers killed when compared to the same period last year. Nationally, 60,105 law enforcement officers were assaulted while performing their duties in 2020.
There is a growing memorial of flowers and gifts outside the police station. Rocha was a husband and father of two. He was called a city good guy and hero by his colleagues.
