
Retired Washington detective who narrowly survived being shot in line of duty found dead in lake
The body of David Easterly, 67, was pulled out of Flathead Lake in Montana on Tuesday afternoon after he jumped off a boat into the water three days prior and never emerged, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
4 Retired Detective David Easterly was found dead in a lake in Montana.
King County Sheriff
Advertisement
His body was turned over to the Montana State Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy while the sheriff investigates the cause of death.
In March 2023, Easterly was shot twice while serving an eviction notice alongside two deputies in a Seattle neighborhood. Both bullets skirted past his protective vest, and he was struck in the left chest area and his left side.
4 Easterly retired shortly after he was shot during an eviction call in 2023.
King County Sheriff
Advertisement
An investigation concluded that the irate tenant, who then shot and killed himself, opened fire first.
The tenant had barricaded himself inside and opened fire on the three officers once they entered, KOMO reported.
Struck in the chest, Easterly was convinced he was going to die — and almost did.
He told his partners to tell his family he loved them before being carted away to a nearby hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries and even lost one of his kidneys in the process, the outlet reported.
Advertisement
4 Easterly served with the King's County Sheriff's Office for 25 years.
King County Sheriff
He also underwent multiple blood transfusions and noted that 'most of the blood that flows through me right now doesn't even belong to me,' as he explained how incredibly grateful he was for the good Samaritan donors who helped keep him alive, he told the outlet.
Easterly spent a staggering seven weeks recovering and lost more than 50 pounds in the process.
4 Easterly went missing after jumping off a boat on Flathead Lake last Saturday.
Aaron Waller Photo – stock.adobe.com
Advertisement
He decided to retire soon after he recovered.
'No, that's it, I'm done. That's it. I'm a little too old for this game. Yeah,' Easterly told the outlet at the time.
Easterly served with the King County Sheriff's Office for 25 years.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
21 hours ago
- New York Post
Retired Washington detective who narrowly survived being shot in line of duty found dead in lake
A Washington detective who retired shortly after being shot in the line of duty was found dead after a bizarre boating incident last Saturday. The body of David Easterly, 67, was pulled out of Flathead Lake in Montana on Tuesday afternoon after he jumped off a boat into the water three days prior and never emerged, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. 4 Retired Detective David Easterly was found dead in a lake in Montana. King County Sheriff Advertisement His body was turned over to the Montana State Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy while the sheriff investigates the cause of death. In March 2023, Easterly was shot twice while serving an eviction notice alongside two deputies in a Seattle neighborhood. Both bullets skirted past his protective vest, and he was struck in the left chest area and his left side. 4 Easterly retired shortly after he was shot during an eviction call in 2023. King County Sheriff Advertisement An investigation concluded that the irate tenant, who then shot and killed himself, opened fire first. The tenant had barricaded himself inside and opened fire on the three officers once they entered, KOMO reported. Struck in the chest, Easterly was convinced he was going to die — and almost did. He told his partners to tell his family he loved them before being carted away to a nearby hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries and even lost one of his kidneys in the process, the outlet reported. Advertisement 4 Easterly served with the King's County Sheriff's Office for 25 years. King County Sheriff He also underwent multiple blood transfusions and noted that 'most of the blood that flows through me right now doesn't even belong to me,' as he explained how incredibly grateful he was for the good Samaritan donors who helped keep him alive, he told the outlet. Easterly spent a staggering seven weeks recovering and lost more than 50 pounds in the process. 4 Easterly went missing after jumping off a boat on Flathead Lake last Saturday. Aaron Waller Photo – Advertisement He decided to retire soon after he recovered. 'No, that's it, I'm done. That's it. I'm a little too old for this game. Yeah,' Easterly told the outlet at the time. Easterly served with the King County Sheriff's Office for 25 years.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Deputies search for 14-year-old reported missing out of Lake County
Aiden Creech, a 14-year-old boy, is reported missing after last being seen on August 18, 2025, in Sorrento, Florida. Aiden was last seen wearing a black shirt and camouflage shorts. He is described as a white male, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with brown hair, blue eyes, and roughly 180 pounds. If you have any information about Aiden's location, please contact the Lake County Sheriff's Office at 352-343-2101 or reach out to CRIMELINE. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Solve the daily Crossword

6 days ago
Woman reunites with hero bystander who rescued her from burning car
A New York woman is reuniting with the good Samaritan who helped save her from a burning car in June. The two opened up in a new interview with "Good Morning America" on Friday. "I wouldn't be here had it not been for Nathan [Felix]," Mary Frances McLoryd said. McLoryd, 69, had been driving along a remote highway on Sunday, June 8, at around 4 a.m. in Chester, New York, when she fell asleep at the wheel. McLoryd said her SUV ended up rolling over and pinning her inside as it caught on fire. "I remember trying to protect myself, like just putting my hands and my arms up and turning my body to the right side because that's where the heat was coming from," McLoryd recalled. "There's no way I was getting out of that car." Nathan Felix, 23, said he was passing by at the time, and when he noticed McLoryd's car, he jumped out to help. "I could hear somebody screaming," Felix said. "And then she's like, 'Help me! Help me!' I'm just ... hearing her in there panicking, so I'm trying to do whatever I can to possibly assist her." The Town of Chester Police Department released body camera video footage from the incident, which shows first responders arriving at the scene and handing Felix a fire extinguisher. Felix is then seen sprinting toward the fire while an officer uses a window-breaking device to crack open the car's sunroof, the outlet through which Felix was able to pull McLoryd out of the car. "Once we got her out, she was like, screaming and everything. I was like, 'Thank you, God.' That's all I was saying in my head -- 'Thank you, God,'" Felix recalled. McLoryd said she credits her in-car safety system for recognizing that she was in an accident and dialing 911. The 69-year-old said she sustained severe burns that covered more than 20% of her body and stayed in the hospital for over a month before getting to return home earlier this week and reuniting with Felix. Though she still has a long road to recovery and medical bills and doctor's appointments to think about, McLoryd said she's forever grateful for Felix and now considers him a nephew. "It was overwhelming what this young man did," she said. "What young person runs up to a vehicle that is now caught on fire and still tries to get somebody out of it? I can't thank Nathan enough. I don't even have words to thank him. I don't know how to thank him. Other than to say, if you ever need me, I'm always here in your life."