The National Park Service is investigating what led a park ranger to shoot a man at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area near Kettle Falls in eastern Washington over the weekend.
The victim’s family says the ranger put a child at risk.
On Saturday night, two rangers responded to a noise complaint about a houseboat at the Kettle River campground. A scuffle ensued and a ranger shot a man on board.
Both the National Park Service and the Washington State Patrol are now investigating what happened. Park Service spokeswoman Jaime Smith says the federal agency will also do an internal review of the use of force – which she says is rare for a park ranger.
“We're just looking at the action that was taken and ensuring that policies were followed, all the guidelines, all our manuals were followed.”
The family of shooting victim Casey Hartinger says he was standing next to a nine-year-old boy when the ranger fired the shot.
Michael Joe Sublie, the owner of the houseboat, has been charged with threatening a federal employee and unreasonable noise. Both are misdemeanors.