Alger residents wonder if the pain will ever fade

ALGER, Skagit County — There's no post office here, no community center and no schools.

Though it's one of the oldest communities in Skagit County, Alger isn't even a town. Here, the local tavern — strategically located on the northwest corner of what is essentially a rural crossroads — is the main hub where people gather to swap news and share gossip.

Folks here are largely independent sorts who know their neighbors yet respect each other's privacy. The quiet and solitude are what drew so many to this wooded area that's dotted with lakes but is still just a quick jaunt from the nearest freeway onramp.

In less than five months, though, Alger has been stunned by two horrific crimes: In late April, the body of a popular Ferndale high-school track coach was found on nearby Blanchard Mountain and an Alger man is the prime suspect. Salacious talk about online swingers, an extramarital affair and the yet-unsolved homicide had switched back to more mundane topics when alleged gunman Isaac Zamora went on a shooting rampage earlier this week, killing six people — including a Skagit County sheriff's deputy — and injuring four others.

While the death of track coach Jeremy Scully was tragic, he wasn't a local and so, residents say, his killing didn't touch everyone who lives in this borderless, bedroom community surrounded by Bellingham, Burlington and Sedro-Woolley. People were even able to laugh at the television news anchors who mispronounced the name of their community as "Al-gur, Skay-git County."

This time, it's different. Everyone knows someone intimately involved in Tuesday's nightmare, when Zamora, 28, a local mentally ill man, allegedly fired at neighbors and strangers alike and led police on a high-speed pursuit before his arrest 15 miles south of here. Still numb with shock, the people of Alger — there are only a few hundred of them — wonder if things can ever return to normal.

Back in April, Skagit County detectives began investigating their first homicide of the year after Scully was found dead on Blanchard Mountain, killed by a gunshot to the head. His homicide remains a top priority, said Skagit County Chief Criminal Deputy Will Reichardt.

"He was having an affair with an Alger woman, and our person of interest is the husband of that woman," he said.

No arrests have been made "but we certainly haven't forgotten about that," Reichardt said, explaining detectives are awaiting results from the state crime lab and need time to put their case together before forwarding it to prosecutors.

"Alger is typically a pretty quiet place," he said. "There's been two very serious crimes that have occurred here in the last four or five months. Both incidents aren't typical of the community."

For Reichardt, the community outpouring in the wake of Tuesday's killings has been overwhelming. Hundreds of people lined the roads or stood at the main intersection of Lake Samish Road and Old Highway 99 on Wednesday as a motorcade escorted a white hearse carrying the body of Deputy Anne Jackson from the crime scene.

"People were crying, waving and saluting. You could tell they really loved her," Reichardt said. "It was huge."

Still, people here are uncomfortable under the glare of the media spotlight that's drawn satellite trucks and news helicopters. A reporter from the British Broadcasting Corp. even called the Alger Bar & Grille to find out how to pronounce "Alger," said Dawn Thomas, who with her husband, Steve, has run the local watering hole for the past six years.

"This is not what we want to be known for," she said. "We have some wonderful, lovely people who will give the shirts off their back. It's a wonderful community and this has really rocked us."

The only way people here know how to respond is to lean on each other as they struggle through their grief, said Rich Deruiter, a local pastor and chaplain for the volunteer fire department. A candlelight vigil is planned for tonight on the front lawn of the Alger Community Church, and Deruiter hopes members of the Skagit County Sheriff's Office, the State Patrol and other first responders will join the community in mourning those killed and praying for the injured — and the loved ones left behind.

"Right now, people are just reeling. It still seems unreal," he said. "This is a community of very independent people who pull together whenever necessary. They're strong people ... and also a source of strength in times of trouble."

Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com