PARADISE, Wash. (AP) -- A private sunrise memorial is planned on New Year's Day at Mount Rainier National Park in honor of a park ranger fatally shot a year ago.
Chief Ranger Chuck Young tells The News Tribune that many park employees plan to gather Tuesday morning at Paradise, Wash., to honor law enforcement Ranger Margaret Anderson.
A National Park Service review board determined that Anderson's actions in trying to stop Benjamin Barnes after he sped through a mandatory chain-up checkpoint kept Barnes from reaching the crowded Paradise area and likely saved the lives of many park visitors and staff. After fatally shooting Anderson on Jan. 1, 2012, Barnes fled on foot. His body was found in a nearby river the next day.
Young says the memorial service is closed to the public and reporters. Park visitors at Paradise who were locked down overnight during the manhunt have been invited.
AP.