Park gunman chased after ranger shot dead

An Iraq war veteran being sought after the shooting of ranger Margaret Anderson may have headed to remote Mount Rainier National Park to hide out after an earlier shooting near Seattle in which four people were injured, authorities told a news conference.

About 150 officers converged on the Washington state mountain park after Sunday’s shooting.

Benjamin Colton Barnes, a 24-year-old Iraq War veteran believed to have survivalist skills, was a “strong person of interest” in the ranger’s death, said Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer.

Mr Troyer said authorities recovered the gunman’s vehicle, which had weapons and body armour inside.

Safety concerns prompted authorities to keep about 125 tourists at a visitor centre as the manhunt unfolded but officers escorted them in their cars out of the park yesterday.

A parks spokesman said Barnes was an Iraq war veteran, and the mother of his child had alleged he suffered from post-traumatic stress following his deployments.

During a custody dispute in July 2011 the woman said Barnes was suicidal after deploying to Iraq in 2007-2008. He was easily irritated, angry and depressed and kept an arsenal of weapons in his home.

Authorities said the gunman had sped past a park checkpoint to make sure vehicles have tyre chains. Mrs Anderson blocked the road to stop it and the gunman shot her dead. He also fired at another ranger