A Port Angeles man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a 73-year-old man earlier this year.
Clinton Laverne King, 46, was taken into custody Thursday, May 14, and booked into the Clallam County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder, according to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
The arrest followed what investigators described as a lengthy homicide investigation involving more than 45 search warrants.
Detectives located a vehicle tied to the case near Black Diamond Road in Port Angeles on Thursday and conducted surveillance as it traveled to a residence in the 1300 block of West 16th Street, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators also spotted a man matching King’s description heading toward the home.
Detectives had already established probable cause to arrest King and obtained a warrant connected to the residence. The Peninsula Crisis Response Team was called in to assist, and Stevens Middle School was briefly placed on modified lockdown as a precaution during the operation.
Before the crisis response team arrived, deputies saw King preparing to leave the property on a motorcycle, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies moved in and arrested him without incident to avoid a potential pursuit and reduce risk to the public, the agency said.
Investigators also seized a vehicle believed to be connected to the homicide as evidence.
The investigation began Feb. 21 after deputies responded to a suspicious death in the 6300 block of Deer Park Road near Port Angeles.
The victim, identified as 73-year-old Danny Steven Kendrick, was later determined to have died from gunshot wounds. The case was officially ruled a homicide on March 5.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation involved assistance from the Port Angeles Police Department, Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team, Peninsula Crisis Response Team, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air & Marine Unit, and the Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team and Crime Laboratory.
Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to contact the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency dispatch line at 360-417-2459 or submit information online through the sheriff’s office website.
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