Sergeant Louis Millard, 31, of the Colville Tribal Police Department was killed on the night of August 27, 1986, during a confrontation outside a home near Nespelem, Washington. The incident began earlier that evening when a man who had been arrested feigned chest pains at a hospital and escaped with the help of his son; the pair fled, crashed their vehicle, and ran toward a residence carrying a bag of weapons. An officer assigned to watch the house called for backup when the two approached, and responding officers including Sergeant Millard were ambushed from behind a chicken coop. The assailants used flares to light the area before opening fire. Millard was struck in the chest by a 9 mm round in an area not covered by his vest and died at the scene; another officer was wounded in the back.

The two suspects, identified as Patrick Gene Hoffman and his father Elmer Edward McGinnis, were wounded or captured over the next two days. They were charged with aggravated first-degree murder and assault; their actions were described as an effort to evade arrest and prosecution for earlier offenses. Does anyone have memories of the community response in late August 1986 or information about the pursuit and ambush?