Washington State Patrol trooper who was a Pasco native struck and killed on I-5
A Washington State Patrol trooper was killed early Saturday morning after being struck by a motorist on southbound Interstate 5 near Marysville, the agency said in a news release.
Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies responded to the crash just before 3 a.m., by 136th Street Northeast. The trooper, identified as Christopher Gadd, died at the scene.
Gadd, 27, was with state patrol for 2 ½ years and worked out of Marysville.
He was born in Pasco and graduated from high school in Kent. He attended Green River College and Tacoma Community College before becoming a WSP cadet in Grandview in 2021, said WSP Chief John Batiste said at a Saturday afternoon news conference.
He was part of the 116th Trooper Basic Training class, graduating in November 2022.
Gadd is survived by his wife and a 2-year-old daughter. His father also is a WSP trooper based in Bellevue and his sister is a trooper in Texas, said Batiste.
“We will honor Chris, even in sorrow, but as an agency, we will go on,” Batiste said. “The people of this great state need to know that we will continue to serve them with humility. Because he served, it’s our duty to continue to serve. [We need to] honor him and never forget his ultimate sacrifice.”
According to the sheriff’s office, the trooper was parked on the right shoulder when someone driving at a high speed slammed into the back of the patrol car. A van then crashed into the suspect’s car.
The suspect and the driver of the van were taken to the hospital, according to the sheriff’s office. Five passengers in the van were not hurt in the crash.
The sheriff’s office identified the suspect as a 32-year-old Lynnwood man. He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of vehicular homicide. A judge approved a search warrant to test a sample of his blood.
Gadd was the 33rd WSP trooper killed in the line of duty and the first since Detective Eric Gunderson died after contracting COVID-19 at a work conference in September 2021. Before that, Trooper Justin Schaffer was hit and killed March 24, 2020, while placing spike strips on I-5 near Chehalis.
In the Tri-Cities, Trooper James Saunders was shot and killed in October 1999 during a traffic stop in Pasco.
Saunders was the 26th WSP member to die while on the job, and the third to be fatally shot.
Nine years earlier, Trooper Raymond Hawn, 47, died in January 1990, when he was hit by a vehicle while helping another driver who had run out of gas on Highway 12 near Grandview.
In a post on the social platform X, Gov. Jay Inslee said it is an “incredibly sad day” for the state patrol. He said he and first lady Trudi Inslee send their condolences to the family.
