Sheriff’s Office searches for shooter after three killed at Port Angeles home

A welfare check on New Year’s Eve led to the discovery of a gruesome scene at 52 Bear Meadow Road where investigators discovered that a father, son and the son’s girlfriend had been shot and killed.

“This is a horrific crime that needs to be solved,” said Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 1.

Benedict identified two of the victims as Darrell C. Iverson, 57, and his son, Jordan D. Iverson, 27. The Sheriff’s Office later identified the third victim as Tiffany A. May, 26, who is believed to have been living at the house.

The male victims were found covered by tarps and debris in the front of the house while May was found in a locked outbuilding, Benedict said.

The home is owned by Darrell and Noreen Iverson, according to county records.

The sheriff said dozens of shots were fired.

There are multiple “persons of interest,” Benedict said, though the evidence points to one shooter who acted alone.

The Sheriff’s Office is not identifying the “persons of interest,” he said.

Whoever killed the three people remained loose Tuesday afternoon and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office asked the public for help.

Anyone with any information about the case is urged to call 360-417-2540.

Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols, left, talks with Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict on Tuesday at the scene of several deaths. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

Law enforcement believe the three people were killed on or about Dec. 26. Video from a neighbor’s dash camera shows the tarps that the bodies were found under first appearing on the property on Dec. 26.

Benedict said that family who were concerned after not hearing from the Iversons had gone to the property to check on them Monday. There, they discovered the two bodies under tarps.

At about 4:15 p.m. Monday law enforcement were dispatched to the scene and the decision was made to wait until daylight Tuesday to begin processing the scene at the 5-acre parcel off Deer Park Road.

“The scene was secured by Clallam County deputies for the night,” Benedict said.

Investigators document the crime scene at a property on Bear Meadow Road where three bodies have been found. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

At about 10 a.m., members of the State Patrol Crime Lab, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, Port Angeles Police Department, Sequim Police Department and Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET) began processing the scene, an effort that was still underway in the early evening.

“In the process of sweeping … they found a third victim in a locked outbuilding that was close to the main building,” Benedict said late Tuesday afternoon. “The scene is still being processed.”

I'm at the scene of a double homicide near Port Angeles. Two bodies were found yesterday afternoon during a welfare check and LE are out now with a search warrant. The bodies have not yet been removed or identified. pic.twitter.com/0pG72OBpoi
— Jesse Major (@jessemajor) January 1, 2019

Earlier in the day Benedict had expressed concern there could be more victims, but said during a press briefing that all of the outbuildings had been searched and that there did not appear to be any more victims.

He said evidence at the scene suggests the shooter knew the victims; the sheriff doesn’t believe there is a risk to the public.

“The way that the scene presents itself, it appears it was done by somebody who is or was known to all three of the victims,” Benedict said.

“The public always has to be alert, but this doesn’t appear to be a serial killer.”

He said that whoever did it had attempted to conceal what they had done.

Evidence collected suggests that only one gun was used during the shooting. That firearm has not been recovered.

Benedict said there is a long history of transient people staying at the property and that notably none of them were there when investigators arrived.

Investigators search through a property on Bear Meadow Road where three bodies have been found. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

He said that though OPNET is involved with the investigation, the home was not the target of any drug-related investigation. The drug task force also responds to other major crimes.

The county’s mobile Emergency Operations Center was parked on the property as investigators took photos and videos of the scene. The State Patrol used a drone to help map the scene as well.

Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict answers questions about the triple homicide near Port Angeles during a press conference Tuesday. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

“We had to wait for the State Patrol to get there to organize enough individuals to do an effective search and use the advantage of daylight,” Staff Sgt. John Keegan said. “You don’t want to miss things in a case like this.”

About 20 people helped process the scene Tuesday morning. The road was blocked off and crime tape surrounded the property.

“In law enforcement terms, we call this a rather complex scene,” Benedict said. “There are shell casings all around and there’s a whole lot to process.”

He said that it appeared “dozens” of shots had been fired.

Clallam County Sheriff’s Det. Josh Ley walks away from the scene were three people were killed. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

Benedict said Clallam County hasn’t seen a shooting like this in many years.

Benedict said that no one had reported hearing gun shots in the area. He also said that it is legal to shoot there.

Neighbors described the scene as surreal, something they would never expect to happen in their neighborhood.

Steve Lovik, who purchased his property from the Iversons five years ago, said it was unnerving to have something like this happen so close to home.

He said it is comforting to hear from the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office that they do not believe anyone else is at risk.

“I grew up in Port Angeles,” he said. “This doesn’t happen here.”

Jesse Major is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.