PASCO, Wash. — It’s been 23 years since Trooper Jim Saunders of the Washington State Patrol was killed while on duty in the Tri-Cities. To honor his life and legacy, people gathered at his memorial in Pasco and paid respects.
Trooper Saunders was killed on October 7, 1999, at just 31 years old. WSP officials say that he was conducting a routine traffic stop in Pasco when a subject in the vehicle shot him several times, inflicting fatal gunshot wounds.
At the time of his death, Trooper Saunders was a father to a young child and an 8 1/2-year veteran of the Washington State Patrol. He was remembered fondly by many of his peers — several of whom attended the remembrance at his memorial site on Oct. 7, 2022, in Pasco.
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In attendance were several Washington State Patrol colleagues, officers from the Pasco Police Department and others with personal ties to Trooper Saunders.
“His honor and professional service will never be forgotten,” Pasco Police Department officials stated in a social media post about the gathering.
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Saunders is one of several WSP Troopers who’ve been killed in the line of duty in Eastern Washington. Just recently, a WSP Trooper operating out of the Walla Walla area was assaulted and shot by a suspect while on the job.
He survived and is now recovering back home, but serves as an example of the dangers present to law enforcement officials in this community.
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