Donations Set Up For Deputy Dyson's Family, New Details Released

PARKLAND, WA — The Pierce County Sheriff's Department has released new details on the domestic violence call Deputy Cooper Dyson was rushing toward before he was killed in a crash Saturday morning.

Investigators said two deputies were sent to a house on 113th Street South, in Parkland, just after 3 a.m. Saturday after a woman called 911 and said her adult son had assaulted his 6-year-old sister. Deputies believed the man was high and said there were multiple weapons inside the home.

When the deputies arrived, the suspect attempted to retreat further inside the house but was grabbed by a deputy. Investigators said a seven-minute struggle ensued, and the man appeared "impervious to pain," and had "superhuman strength." According to deputies, several methods were used to subdue the man, including the use of a Taser and pepper spray, but none of them were effective.

The sheriff's department said the two deputies radioed for priority backup during the fight, and Deputy Cooper Dyson was the first to respond to their call for help. As Deputy Dyson rushed through flooded streets, he lost control of his vehicle and hit a pile of lumber outside a business on 112th Street, rolling his patrol vehicle. The sheriff's department said he died at the scene.

Another deputy arrived to provide backup with a K9 at 3:11 a.m. Deputies said the suspect grabbed the dog, K9 Zepp, and put him in a chokehold. A deputy hit the man in the head with a flashlight and pulled him off the dog, then placed him in handcuffs.

Investigators said they later learned the man had been searching the house for a shotgun and had intended to get shot and killed by deputies. The 22-year-old was booked into jail on suspicion of assaulting a child, resisting arrest, three counts of assault, and harming a police dog.

After the struggle was over, the deputies learned of their colleague's crash. The sheriff's department said two of the deputies immediately went to the crash scene and worked there for another six hours.

Dyson, 25, joined the sheriff's department in 2018. He leaves behind a pregnant wife and a young boy. The Pierce County Sheriff's Department has established a legacy fund, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Dyson's wife, to help raise their very young son and a baby girl due in two weeks. You can donate online on the Tacoma/Pierce County Crimestoppers website, or in person at any TAPCO Credit Union.