KALAMA — Fallert Road residents said Monday they were shocked to hear about the “senseless” shooting of a Cowlitz County sheriff’s deputy on Saturday night.
Danielle Rowley said she moved from Rainier, Ore., to Fallert Road north of Kalama three years ago to get away from crime.
“The whole reason we moved out here was to not have this sort of thing happen,” Rowley said. “(But) it’s not where you live, it’s our society now. We will have less incidents out in the country but we’re not immune.”
Rowley and other residents on Kalama River Road and adjoining roads were directed to shelter in place Saturday night after Cowlitz County sheriff’s deputy Justin DeRosier was shot and killed. The suspect, Brian D. Butts, died Sunday evening after a second encounter with police. Meanwhile, efforts to investigate the death of sheriff’s Deputy Justin DeRosier and honor his life are continuing.
DeRosier was checking out a disabled motorhome blocking Fallert Road when he was shot around 10 p.m.
Law enforcement closed the road Saturday night through Sunday afternoon except to let residents through. Rowley said those coming in had to show identification with their address on it to access Fallert Road.
Another Fallert Road resident who didn’t want to give her name said she saw the motorhome Saturday around 5 p.m. while out for a walk. She said she and her husband asked the driver not to park it on Fallert Road.
Later that night, she said she heard multiple gunshots, followed by a heavy law enforcement response.
She said the neighborhood felt like a “war zone” as law enforcement searched the area Saturday night and Sunday. Multiple agencies, including SWAT team members and police dogs searched the woods around her house, she said.
Throughout the day, neighbors shared information on Facebook groups. She said she received messages from people she didn’t know offering to bring her supplies while the road was closed.
“It definitely brought the community out here together,” she said. “It’s comforting to know so many people here watch out for each other.”
Both women said they would be keeping a closer eye out for suspicious vehicles or other activity. Rowley said these kinds of incidents are “a good reminder of how much we need law enforcement.”
