SEDRO-WOOLLEY - Two armed men in ski masks were fired on - and apparently wounded - by a rural homeowner after they were caught attempting to rob the premises Thursday night.
Larry Kunzler, owner of the 7-acre property just north of Sedro-Woolley, said he confronted the two men shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday after hearing his wife scream.
Kunzler, a well-known researcher on Skagit River flood issues, told the Skagit Valley Herald that he fired several shots at the men, both of whom were carrying weapons.
Sheriff's Office deputies and Mount Vernon police arrived at the home with a canine unit. Officers found a gun nearby that they believe belongs to the suspects, said Chief Criminal Deputy Will Reichardt of the Skagit County Sheriff's Office.
A couple hours later, a 36-year-old Auburn man arrived at United General Hospital in Sedro-Woolley with a gunshot wound in his torso, Reichardt said.
The man is considered a suspect but has not been arrested, Reichardt said. He has since been taken to Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon to be treated for the gunshot wound.
At about 5:30 a.m. Friday a 28-year-old Arlington man with a gunshot wound in his foot also arrived at Skagit Valley Hospital.
Deputies are still investigating the possible link between the two injured men and the attempted robbery of the Kunzler home.
Copyright (c) 2010, Skagit Valley Herald, Mount Vernon, Wash.
