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Toppenish: Troubled former officer commits suicide

February 15th, 2009, incident report by jbtaylor

  • February 1, 2009
  • 1
  • 0
  • 7801 Campbell Road
  • Toppenish
  • Washington
  • 98948

Dave Leder. Yakima Herald - Republic. Yakima, Wash.: Feb 2, 2009. pg. B.1

(Copyright (c) 2009 Yakima Herald-Republic)

Mike Rummel, fired in 2005, kills himself after police pursuit

TOPPENISH -- A fired Yakima police officer who had gone through several years of legal battles in an attempt to regain his job shot himself to death Sunday afternoon after a police pursuit, authorities said.

Mike Rummel, 41, died at the scene on Campbell Road outside of Toppenish.

Rummel was fired in 2005 after police administrators ruled that he violated a last-chance agreement related to a drunken driving arrest in 2002.

Although described by a former supervisor and police union official as a good officer, Rummel had dealt with depression and alcohol use, according to legal filings.

Rummel's death followed a pursuit that started about 1:45 p.m., when state Trooper Corey Kingman was nearly hit head-on by a white Ford Taurus in the area of Fort Road and Lateral A Road, said Lt. Jim Keightley of the Washington State Patrol.

Kingman turned his car around and began pursuing Rummel's vehicle at speeds between 60 and 75 mph, Keightley said.

The chase ended at 7801 Campbell Road, about a mile south of Fort Road and seven miles west of Toppenish, when Rummel pulled into the driveway of a home there.

Kingman, who took a protected position behind his car, began issuing commands to the driver when he saw a pistol and heard gunfire, Keightley said.

Rummel died in the car, where alcohol containers were found, Keightley said. He had been living at the home.

Keightley said no obvious indication of motive was found at the scene. Patrol detectives and Yakima County sheriff's deputies were investigating.

Union leaders had fought to bring Rummel back on the force, saying that Chief Sam Granato retaliated against the union's resistance to random drug testing by firing Rummel.

During the dispute, Granato said he had offered to help Rummel as much as possible through treatment but denied any retaliation. City officials said the last-chance violations ultimately led to his dismissal.

About four years ago, he was accused of flashing his badge to enter a bar and of being insubordinate by calling his then-girlfriend, who works in the city's 9-1-1 dispatch center.

Union officials countered that Rummel showed his badge only after being asked if he was an officer and that the phone call was brief.

Rummel had worked in the construction industry since being fired. He had a young son, who lives out of town with his mother.

In a brief phone conversation, brother-in-law Eric Vargas said Rummel was a "good man, and he was very loved" by his family.

Jeff Brownfield, a former Yakima police officer who is fighting his own termination for reasons unrelated to Rummel's case, said Rummel was a giving person who often helped his friends with building projects.

"He was definitely a good guy," Brownfield said. "A lot of people are missing him."

After a series of back-and-forth rulings, Rummel's legal battles had recently taken another turn against him.

The state Court of Appeals last month ruled that the city was justified in firing Rummel. Any notice of appeal to the state Supreme Court was due Feb. 9. It was not immediately clear Sunday evening whether the union had been planning to proceed with an appeal.

Rummel also had filed a federal lawsuit against the city over his discharge.

The union's president, Detective Mike Nielsen, declined to comment on Rummel's death, and Granato did not return phone messages late Sunday.

"We're definitely saddened by Mike Rummel's death, and our condolences go out to his family and friends," city spokesman Randy Beehler said Sunday night.

Rummel worked for the Yakima Police Department for about five years. He had been a Selah police officer before that.