'Scared' driver fatally shot man helping deer cross the street in neighbourhood

15 September 2023 , 03:23

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Dan Spaeth was killed outside his Snohomish, Washington, home on September 7 while out helping the deer with his wife (Image: KOMO News)

A man in Washington shot and killed another man who was trying to steer traffic while deer were crossing the street in his neighbourhood, according to local authorities.

Dylan Picard, a 22-year-old from Lake Stevens, was arrested for the killing of Dan Spaeth of Snohomish, Washington. Dan was killed outside his home on the evening of September 7 while out with his wife, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Detective Kendra Conley wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.

Picard allegedly shot the 37-year-old man once as he was driving by, later telling authorities that he was afraid seeing the couple out on the street and fired a shot in an attempt to scare them, the affidavit reads.

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Dylan Picard allegedly shot the 37-year-old man once as he was driving by, later telling authorities that he was afraid seeing the couple out on the street and fired a shot in an attempt to scare them (KOMO News)

Police apprehended Picard after a brief search for his vehicle. He has been charged with second-degree murder and told authorities that he did not know either of the couple, the Washington Posts reports.

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Dan was a correctional officer with the state Department of Corrections, spokesman Chris Wright said. He was married to his teenage sweetheart, Alissa, and the couple shared a seven-year-old son, a friend of the victim said.

“Everybody loved Dan like a brother,” Jeff Perkins said. “If you needed money, he’d help you. If you needed a ride, if you needed anything, he was there, and a lot of times you didn’t even have to ask.”

Dan was married to his teenage sweetheart, Alissa, and the couple shared a seven-year-old son (Spaeth family)

Perkins added: “If he wasn’t at work, he was playing with his son; if he wasn’t playing with his son, he was making his wife happy cleaning out the horse stalls."

According to the affidavit, Picard told investigators that he was had been driving past the couple's home when the Jeep in front of him slowed down. It was then that he saw the Spaeths in the street and saw the man - later identified as Dan - hitting the vehicle with his hands.

Picard said that he became "scared," the affidavit states, and grabbed a loaded gun that he had inside his car. As he was approached by the couple, he said that he believed he saw Alissa go into her bag. It was then that he fired ashot out of his passenger window in an attempt "to scare the male and female," he said, according to the affidavit. He drove away not knowing if he had hit someone, he said.

Picard allegedly told authorities he believed Alissa (right) was reaching into a bag (Spaeth family)

Authorities, however, said that there was no indication that Alissa actually had a bag on her. The affidavit states thatPicard reportedly “acknowledged he could have” driven around the pair instead of firing his weapon.It is currently unclear whether Picard is being represented by a lawyer.

“Dan has been described as someone always willing to do whatever it took to get the job done in what can often be a challenging work environment,” Wright said. “He was killed in what appears to be a senseless act of violence. It’s tough to make sense of.”

Matthew Wright