Washington state trooper fatally shoots a man during a freeway altercation, police say

EVERETT, Wash. — A Washington state trooper shot and killed a man with a hammer who had attacked U.S. Department of Transportation workers along Interstate 5 north of Seattle, law enforcement officials said.

On Thursday around 4 p.m., state police troopers responded to a report of a road rage incident on the shoulder of northbound I-5 in Everett, the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team said in a news release. The team investigates incidents of violence by the police.

The driver of a vehicle began ramming a Department of Transportation contractor vehicle with a lift operating above a swamp with two contractors on board, investigators said.

The driver had a hammer and during an altercation with the workers and an officer, the officer fatally shot the driver, the news release said. The driver died on the spot despite police assistance, the press release said.

One of the Department of Transportation contract workers was injured and was expected to survive, investigators said.

The names of the soldier and the person who was shot have not been released. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office was expected to confirm the identity of the driver, as well as the cause and manner of death.

It is not clear exactly what led to the shooting, how many shots were fired and why the driver allegedly started ramming the vehicle.

The incident caused traffic to be backed up for miles and well into the night.