Fundraising accounts raise thousands for Whatcom deputies injured in shooting
A pair of online fundraisers have been organized to help with medical expenses for the two veteran Whatcom County sheriff’s deputies who were injured in a Peaceful Valley shooting last week.
Deputies Jason Thompson and Ryan Rathbun suffered facial wounds from a 12-gauge shotgun blast as they responded to a Green Valley Road neighbor dispute on Thursday, Feb. 11.
“We’ve been inundated by messages of support from the community regarding our deputies injured in the line of duty last Thursday,” Sheriff Bill Elfo said Monday, Feb. 14, at the Sheriff’s Office page on Facebook.
Both deputies have been released from the hospital but they will need “ongoing medical care” for their injuries, according to Elfo’s post and the GoFundMe fundraising pages.
“Please join me in continued prayers for the full and complete recovery of both deputies and comfort for their families; the protection of all law enforcement officers; and a return to law and order in our state and nation,” Elfo said in a Facebook post on Sunday, Feb. 13.
Rathbun has been with the Sheriff’s Office for almost 16 years, Elfo said.
He has been a field training officer, a member of the department’s Criminal Interdiction and SWAT teams. He has served as a Foothills neighborhood deputy and is a first aid/CPR instructor.
Thompson has been with the Sheriff’s Office for 13 years and is the South Lake Whatcom neighborhood deputy. He’s also a member of the Crisis Negotiations Team and Criminal Interdiction Team.
Separate accounts with a goal of $5,000 each were established by Kendra Cristelli, a Whatcom County support officer, at the GoFundMe website.
▪ Rathbun’s fundraising page had nearly $14,000 in donations by Tuesday morning, Feb. 15.
▪ Thompson’s fundraising page had nearly $11,000 in donations by Tuesday morning, Feb. 15.
Both deputies could lose eyesight, according to previous Bellingham Herald reporting.
A suspect was being held in Skagit County Jail on $5 million bail.
Bellingham Police are leading the investigation.
This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
