Tulalip man kills self in police custody

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Tulalip man kills self in police custody



A Tulalip man took his own life early Saturday in the lock-up room of
the Tulalip Police Department, said Mike Taylor, an attorney for the
Tulalip Tribes.

James Bumgarner, 40, a Tulalip tribal member, was arrested Friday night
by Tulalip police on charges of domestic violence, Taylor said. He had
been in the Tulalip lock-up for about an hour when police found him
dead.

The lock-up, a room in the police department, does not resemble a jail
cell, Taylor said.

Taylor did not discuss details of the death. He said a significant
portion of the incident was captured on the room's surveillance
videotape but did not state the exact manner in which Bumgarner died.

Bumgarner's death was caused by hanging, according to the Snohomish
County Medical Examiner's Office.

It was not Bumgarner's first arrest, Taylor said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation was called and arrived at the police
department shortly after the body was discovered, Taylor said. That
agency is leading an investigation into the death, he said.

Scott Smith, the newly hired Tulalip police chief, also worked on the
case, even though he won't officially start in the Tulalip position
until Jan. 2.

Smith will continue as chief of the Mountlake Terrace Police Department
until Dec. 31.

The Tulalip Police Department has been in operation for about six years,
Taylor said. This is the first time someone has died in the lock-up, he
said.