On February 16, 2014, 44-year-old Bret Berlin was shot and killed while seated in a parked car on Camano Island, Washington. A woman with him was also hit in the arm by the same bullet. Investigators say a 34-year-old man, Riley Leif Ottersen, approached the vehicle asking for cigarettes, received a pack, then drew a firearm and fired into the car.

After the shooting Ottersen fled, leading officers on a high-speed pursuit from Camano Island to Mukilteo. His vehicle crashed; when he exited and reportedly aimed his gun at officers they fired. Ottersen was critically wounded and later died in a Seattle hospital. Authorities were unable to determine a clear motive — he and the victims had mutual acquaintances but no direct connection was established, and the surviving victim could not explain why it happened.

Two separate probes followed: the Island County Sheriff’s Office investigated the double shooting and the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team reviewed the police shooting in Mukilteo; prosecutors later concluded the officers’ use of deadly force was legally justified. Does anyone have information about Berlin’s last known activities or contacts on Camano Island that could clarify what led to this attack?