Highway Gunman Shoots 7 People

A gunman opened fire along a highway Thursday, wounding at least seven people before he was shot by authorities, a sheriff’s official said.

Three of the gunman’s victims were hospitalized in critical condition, officials said. Another three victims were hospitalized, but their conditions weren’t immediately known. A seventh victim was reported in stable condition with a thigh wound.

Authorities shot and wounded the gunman about half an hour after the shootings began, said Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Curt Benson.

The gunman was identified as Ricky Thorp, 30, of Bonney Lake, Wash. He was arrested and taken to a hospital for surgery, where he was reported in critical condition, Benson said.

Thorp allegedly began shooting at motorists as he walked along the road, and then at people who came out of their houses to see what was happening. The shootings happened along a stretch of highway near Buckley, more than 30 miles southeast of Seattle.

“He was indiscriminately shooting at anybody,” Benson said.

Benson said police received a call that someone was shooting at passing cars, and four minutes later, Thorp’s mother called to say it was her son doing the shooting.

The gunman was armed with a .22-caliber rifle with a scope and clip containing at least 25 rounds, Benson said.