Police won't reveal if Everett officer fired fatal shots

EVERETT — A 32-year-old man found dead inside a North Everett house early Saturday after an Everett Police officer fired several shots at him died from multiple gunshot wounds, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office said yesterday.

The man, identified as Texas native Dalton Lee Culp, did not commit suicide, said police spokesman Sgt. Boyd Bryant. But Bryant would not confirm that the bullets fired by the police officer caused the fatal wounds. That remains under investigation, he said.

The officer, whom Boyd would not identify, was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting — standard procedure in officer-related shootings. The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office is leading the shooting investigation.

A 911 dispatcher took a 2 a.m. call from a woman who lived in the house, in the 1500 block of McDougall Avenue. In the background the dispatcher could hear the woman pleading with her estranged boyfriend to not point a gun at her, and a man's voice threatening to kill her, Bryant said.

When police arrived, the 33-year-old woman ran outside. Culp then confronted police outside the home's front door, and pointed two handguns at the officers, Boyd said. One police officer fired an undisclosed number of shots at Culp, who retreated into the house.

A neighbor said she heard three shots.

Police surrounded the house, evacuated neighbors and finally entered it around 5 a.m. after firing tear-gas canisters through many windows. Culp was dead inside.

Culp grew up in central Texas. He was married for a short time and had a son, now 9, said a family friend who didn't want to be named. He moved to the Seattle area and then joined the Navy for several years, the friend said.

Culp had moved often since then — records show addresses in Texas, Idaho, Denver, Redmond, Bothell, Marysville and Everett. Several years ago he married a second time, but the marriage lasted only months.

Diane Brooks: 425-745-7802 or dbrooks@seattletimes.com.