Heroes: 2 Whatcom County deputies who were injured in 2022 gun battle receive medals
Two Whatcom County sheriff’s deputies have been awarded a state Medal of Honor for their actions in a February 2022 incident where both were wounded as they tried to arrest a man who was firing a shotgun from his doorway in a rural neighborhood near Kendall.
Deputies Ryan Rathbun and Jason Thompson received the award during a May 5 ceremony at the Peace Officer Memorial in Olympia, according to a statement from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office on Friday.
“During this incident, Deputy Rathbun and Deputy Thompson each placed the life of their partner and the lives of innocent citizens above their own,” said David Heitzman, attorney general’s chief criminal investigator and secretary of the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor Committee.
Rathbun and Thompson were shot in the face as they responded to 911 calls on Feb. 10, 2022, from neighbors who said a man was firing a shotgun into the air, according to previous Bellingham Herald reporting.
Body camera footage released by the Sheriff’s Office shows the two deputies with their guns drawn, trying to reason with the armed man, who was later identified as Joel Berck Young.
That video shows both men coming under fire and seeking refuge in a garage as a neighbor with a semiautomatic pistol keeps shooting toward Young as cover, a “heroic” act that allowed the deputies to seek medical treatment out of the line of fire, according to previous Herald reporting.
Young is facing several felony charges stemming from the incident, including two counts of attempted first-degree murder. His trial is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 14, according to online court records.
Both Rathbun and Thompson have recovered from their injuries and returned to duty.
“We are extraordinarily proud of these deputies for their performance under fire and their endurance and efforts through the recovery process as well as their commitment to return to serving our community,” Sheriff Bill Elfo said in the statement.
This story was originally published May 13, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
