United States Department of Agriculture - Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations, U.S. Government
End of Watch: Saturday, September 20, 2008
Age: 51
Tour of Duty: 22 years
Badge Number: 1346
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: September 20, 2008
Weapon Used: Handgun; .22 caliber
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Officer Kristine Fairbanks was shot and killed while investigating a suspicious vehicle on Forest Service Road 2880, just past the Dungeness Forks campground off Palo Alto Road on Washington state's Olympic Peninsula. She had radioed the Washington State Patrol dispatch that she would be checking on a van with no license plates at 2:40 pm.
When dispatchers were unable to reach her, troopers were dispatched to check on her and found her suffering from a single gunshot wound. Her canine partner had not been released from her patrol vehicle and was uninjured.
The suspect fled the scene and later murdered a man while stealing his truck. At approximately 9:30 pm, he encountered two Clallam County deputies at a convenience store and was killed in the ensuing shootout.
Officer Fairbanks had served with the United States Forest Service for 22 years. She is survived by her husband and 15-year-old daughter.