Timeline is revealed in trooper’s shooting

WALLA WALLA – The man accused of shooting Washington State Patrol Trooper
Dean Atkinson Jr., 28, Thursday evening made his first court appearance and was
formally charged Friday morning in Walla Walla County Superior Court. Bail for Brandon
Dennis O’Neel, 37, of Walla Walla, was set at $1 million dollars.

Court documents indicate that O’Neel was served an eviction notice at his apartment in
the 1500 block of West Rose Street Thursday morning. The information compiled by
Walla Walla police officers and Special Investigations Unit detectives states that while
serving the notice, a sign reading “Bomb” was located inside the residence. The area
was cleared until the Washington State Patrol Bomb Squad responded and cleared the
residence. No bomb was found and O’Neel was not at home at the time.

During the eviction process, which took place at 10:56 a.m. Thursday, a note was
observed on O’Neel’s door. A sentence was underlined that read, “Evict me and I will
execute any cop or manager you send period.”

At 4:49 p.m. Thursday, Walla Walla police dispatch was notified that O’Neel had
returned to his apartment to find he was unable to make entry. He left the apartment
complex in a gray 2002 Toyota Echo.

At 5:07 p.m. Thursday, Atkinson was driving his patrol vehicle on the 1300 block of
West Poplar Street. A witness said a man wearing a mask got out of a vehicle that had
stopped in the roadway next to Atkinson and shot four to five times in the trooper’s
direction. It was later determined Atkinson was shot at least once. In spite of being
seriously injured, court records say the trooper found the strength to drive himself to
Providence St. Medical Center. He was later flown to Harborview Medical Center in
Seattle where he’s listed in stable condition.

The male suspect fled from the area and a vehicle matching the description of the
suspect’s vehicle was quickly located in the area. The vehicle failed to yield while
traveling southbound on State Route 125 and traveled from Washington into Oregon,
then back northbound into Washington. The suspect vehicle came to a stop between
Farmland Road and Old Milton Highway in the northbound lanes of State Route 125.
The driver of the suspect vehicle, later identified as O’Neel, was removed and taken into
custody. Officers verified no other subjects were inside the vehicle other than O’Neel.

A Walla Walla Police Department officer stated in the court documents that he observed
a block pistol in the center console of O’Neel’s vehicle.

O’Neel was transported to the Walla Walla County Jail and booked for attempted
murder in the first degree, assault in the first degree, and attempting to elude a pursuing
police vehicle. All three charges are felonies and are enhanced because the suspect was allegedly armed with a firearm. O’Neel remains in custody and is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 3. His bail was set at $1 million.

Photo of Washington State Patrol Trooper Dean Atkinson Jr.

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Elkhorn Media Group

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