A memorial service will be held January 10, 2012 at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington to honor fallen Mount Rainier National Park ranger Margaret Anderson.
Anderson was killed in the line of duty while executing a traffic stop at the park on New Year’s Day, 2012. The reported gunman, Benjamin Colton Barnes, a former solider, initially blew through one traffic stop, which was checking for requisite winter travel gear. A second stop was then set up by Anderson and another ranger to intercept Barnes. It was at the second stop that Barnes reportedly shot and killed Anderson before fleeing into the park; he was found dead the next day from an apparent drowning. This is the first homicide in the history of Mount Rainier National Park. The park was subsequently closed to the public until January 7, when the majority of the park reopened free of charge.
For more information on the memorial service visit NPS.gov.
Other sources: WashingtonPost.com and CNN.com
Ed Note: Blogger Nate Alcorn is currently on vacation. This update was written by the YellowstonePark.com staff.
HOW SAD. PEOPLE NEED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH REALITY AND APPRECIATE LIFE AND RESPECT OTHER PEOPLES LIVES. MY HEART GOES OUT TO MARGARET ANDERSON AND HER FAMILY
I’m so sorry for Margaret Anderson and her family who is mourning her. So sad when unstable people are lose and violent.
As I watched Margaret Anderson’s Memorial, I was brought to tears. What happened in that state park was a tragedy not only for Margaret but also for that young man. How quickly we forget about the Veterans returning from war and the subsequent affects on many in society. This young man returned from war with obvious mental issues. What about all those returning from war with mental untable issues? What is in place for them? Who is there for them? Who was there for this man? I am so sorry for both families.