After an alert went out late Sunday regarding a man wanted in connection with the slaying of two people in the Renton area – and it appeared he had been looking online for gun show information in the Northwest and Nevada – the Washington Arms Collectors quickly cooperated with authorities to tip their members.
WAC operates the largest gun shows in the Evergreen State. In order to purchase a firearm at a WAC gun show in either Monroe or Puyallup, one must be a member. Membership is contingent on a background check, and the WAC comes down hard on members who violate the rules.
The King County Sheriff’s Office is looking for Michael Chad Boysen, who had just completed a nine-month prison stretch in Monroe before the bodies of his grandparents were found at their home. The Sheriff's Department is not releasing the cause of death.
Boysen is believed to have taken their car, a red 2001 Chrysler 300 with Washington license 046 XXU.
If the 26-year-old Boysen should stay on the run, he’ll have a tough time getting past WAC security to even get inside the gate of either gun show. WAC officials quickly posted his image and other information on their website and Facebook page, and also on Twitter. That information spreads fast on the Internet, and other gun show operators pay attention.
This column spoke briefly with WAC President John Rodabaugh Monday, who wondered why anyone might think it unusual for a firearms organization to help round up a suspect in a double homicide. Rodabaugh is a practicing attorney and part-time prosecutor. WAC Executive Director Phil Shave, a retired law enforcement officer, also looks at the organization’s quick assistance as “the right thing to do.”
Boysen is described as 5-feet, 10 inches tall, weighing 170 pounds, with hazel eyes. A King County judge issued a warrant for his arrest, but at this writing, is still on the loose and should be considered extremely dangerous.
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