Coroner identifies man killed after traffic stop
December 5, 2008 · 8:25 AM
The Island County Coroner's Office has identified the man who died in a shooting incident on Bush Point Road earlier this week as Carl Stephen Henson of Freeland.
The 55-year-old South Whidbey man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday after being pulled over on Bush Point Road by the Washington State Patrol for driving erratically.
Island County Coroner Robert Bishop said Henson died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to the autopsy report. A toxicology report is pending.
The incident began when a Fire District 3 crew noticed a 1997 Lincoln coupe heading north on Highway 525 near Bayview and called police to report an erratic driver. Firefighters continued to follow the car until a State Patrol vehicle and a sheriff's patrol car responded.
Police stopped the car on Bush Point Road, and a State Patrol trooper heard a single gunshot as he approached the vehicle after making the stop near Dolphin Drive.
Bishop said Henson, a 30-year resident of the area, apparently had lived alone at his Freeland home. His next of kin in California has been notified, Bishop said.
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