Two Spokane County sheriff’s deputies were killed after being shot while trying to rescue possible hostages from a home near Spangle, south of Spokane, following a domestic violence shooting, authorities said.
Deputies Mason Acheson and Parker Perry came under fire from inside the home as they moved to force entry on Nov. 3, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said.
The Sheriff’s Office and Spokane Valley Police Department said they were devastated by the loss and pledged support for the deputies’ families.
“They bravely moved toward danger to protect others they did not know,” the agencies said in a statement. “They are true examples of selfless service and dedication.”
Deputies first responded around 2:25 p.m. after a woman reported she had been shot. The sheriff’s office said investigators learned the suspect had an active felony warrant and might have access to more weapons, and that other victims could still be inside, prompting a SWAT callout. The woman was taken to the hospital with injuries that appeared to be non-life-threatening.
Perry, a K-9 deputy, responded with his dog, Brego, joining the team that approached the house around 3:15 p.m. and forced entry, the sheriff’s office said. The office said Perry answered the call “on his own, without prompting.”
When gunfire struck both Perry and Acheson, fellow deputies returned fire, pulled them to cover and began treating their wounds. Medical helicopters were called and stretches of Interstate 90 and U.S. Highway 195 were closed to speed the deputies to the hospital, the Washington State Patrol said.
Acheson died after being taken to the hospital. Perry was placed on life support while arrangements were made for him to donate his organs; the sheriff’s office said he would “continue to serve others with the gift of life.” Both men left behind wives and two children each, and Perry and his wife were expecting their third child.
Spokane police took over the scene after SWAT teams from Spokane and Kootenai County were called in. A drone sent into the home found the suspect dead, the State Patrol said.
The Spokane County medical examiner determined that Ryan Larsen, 37, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, The Spokesman-Review reported. The medical examiner also identified two other people killed in the home as Suzanne Larsen, 72, and Rebecca Larsen, 45. A family obituary identified them as Larsen’s mother and sister, according to the newspaper.
“It was a very tragic day in Spokane County,” Sheriff John Nowels told reporters, according to The Spokesman-Review. “A lot of families have been affected.”
Acheson and Perry both served in the same Washington Army National Guard infantry battalion, the sheriff’s office said. Acheson enlisted in 2011, rose to sergeant, served in Poland from 2021 to 2022, and earned three Army Commendation Medals. He spent eight years as a Washington State Patrol trooper and firearms instructor before joining the sheriff’s office in 2022, later serving as a SWAT sniper who watched over teammates entering dangerous scenes. “In the face of danger, he stepped forward to preserve life,” the sheriff’s office said of him.
Perry joined the sheriff’s office in 2020 and spent three years on its SWAT team before becoming a K-9 deputy in 2025. He joined the Guard in 2017, rose to captain as a military intelligence officer and earned two Army Commendation Medals.
FBI Director Kash Patel honored each deputy in separate posts, listing Nov. 4 as Acheson’s end of watch and Nov. 7 as Perry’s. Patel noted both men were military veterans and wrote, “They will have our full support.” The FBI issued separate tributes to each deputy.
Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., said he knew Acheson and his wife through a CrossFit gym and that she had been his children’s first piano teacher, calling them “just wonderful people.” In a separate post, Baumgartner asked the public to keep both families in their prayers, saying the deputies “both died protecting our community.”
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson ordered flags at state facilities lowered to half-staff on Monday, Nov. 9, in the deputies’ honor.
The Sheriff Community Oriented Policing Effort is accepting donations to help cover funeral expenses, with remaining funds going to the deputies’ families. The sheriff’s office said it was “grateful and honored by the outpouring of heartfelt condolences and prayers,” adding that the families have requested privacy as they grieve.
