Suspected killer of four Lakewood police officers shot dead in Seattle

One of the biggest manhunts in Washington history can now come to an end following the shooting of alleged killer Maurice Clemmons:

The man suspected of gunning down four Lakewood police officers in a suburban coffee shop was shot and killed by a lone patrolman investigating a stolen car early Tuesday.

The back-up poured in from every direction, but by the time police filled the narrow street with cruisers and other emergency vehicles, the danger was over.

The Seattle police officer, perhaps Maurice Clemmons' next intended victim, allowed his training and instincts to take over.

"He detected some movement behind him, got out of his car, says he recognized the person," said Assistant Seattle Police Chief Jim Pugel.

Thanks to that officer's quick thinking (Benjamin Kelly), Clemmons no longer has the ability to hurt any more people. Clemmons' death was probably inevitable, since he had suffered a gunshot wound inflicted by one of the Lakewood police officers he attacked last week, and could not seek professional medical attention to treat it without being taken into custody. We'll know more once an autopsy has been conducted.

A gun belonging to one of the Lakewood officers was found on Clemmons' person after his death, which obviously ties him to the murder scene.

He'll never be prosecuted or convicted for his crimes in a Washington courtroom, but at least he's no longer around. He chose his fate by refusing to surrender when Officer Kelly ordered him to put his hands in the air.

Clemmons' accomplices, however, have much to answer for. Those who aided and abetted him should now be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.