Inaccurate description of shooting suspect led to unnecessary manhunt
Jan 9, 2018, 2:54 PM | Updated: 4:51 pm

Officers and medical staff take part in a procession for officer Daniel McCartney at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, on Monday, Jan. 8, 2018. (Joshua Bessex/The News Tribune via AP)
(Joshua Bessex/The News Tribune via AP)
After Pierce County Deputy Daniel McCartney was shot and killed on Sunday night, police spent hours searching the area for the shooting suspect. It turns out, however, that the person they were looking for was already in custody.
Frank William Pawul, 32, was arrested just 10 blocks from the crime scene around 8:00 a.m. Monday morning, The News Tribune . At the time, he had three unrelated active warrants for his arrest. Pawul is being until Thursday, when formal charges of first degree murder are expected, 成人X站 7 reports.
RELATED: Suspected getaway driver arrested for connection to burglary that left deputy dead
鈥淗e had been arrested and then gave a false name to officers,鈥 成人X站 Radio鈥檚 Mike Lewis said on the Tom and Curley Show on Tuesday. 鈥淥fficers initially had received an inaccurate description of him, so they were looking literally for someone who didn鈥檛 look like this guy.鈥
It was the initial inaccurate description that led investigators astray throughout the day-long manhunt. Early witness details described the shooting suspect simply as 鈥渁 black male.鈥
UPDATE – We have determined that 2 suspects were involved in the incident – 1 white male, 1 black male. White male suspect found deceased at the scene, black male suspect remains unidentified and on the loose. Search ongoing in area.
鈥 Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff)
Later, the description changed to more accurately depict the person involved:
Updated suspect description in murder of deputy: Unidentified male, mixed race or white, tall, thin, curly dark hair in ponytail, large pointy nose, pock marks on right side of face; wearing dark hooded sweatshirt, black beanie. Call in tips to 855-798-8477.
鈥 Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff)
As police investigated Pawul, they realized his likely connection to Sunday night鈥檚 shooting and called off the search. Had early details been correct, a manhunt could have been avoided.
But the situation on Monday wasn’t that unusual, Lewis said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not always an immediate, sizable manhunt for your average crime,鈥 Lewis said. 鈥淚f you talk to investigators, you鈥檒l find that they get poor descriptions all the time. Sometimes it鈥檚 not intentionally poor. Sometimes people literally don鈥檛 remember or they don鈥檛 remember what their eyes actually saw.鈥
鈥淭his is why good detectives and investigators ask multiple people,” he added.
McCartney’s body was escorted from the medical examiner鈥檚 office in Tacoma to Mountain View Memorial Park in Lakewood.