Daughter of gunman helped rescue policeman

A 16-year-old girl who watched her father shoot two Pierce County sheriff's deputies is being called a heroine for dragging her gun-wielding father to the floor, possibly stopping him from firing additional gunshots.

Bryona Crable may have saved the life of Sgt. Nick Hausner by preventing her father from shooting him a second time, sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ed Troyer said Thursday.

Hausner, 43, was released from the hospital on Thursday morning and spent a portion of the day visiting his gravely wounded comrade, Deputy Kent Mundell Jr. Mundell, 44, is in critical condition and remains on life support at Harborview Medical Center, Troyer said.

Hausner did not talk to the media on Thursday because the wounded deputy wanted to focus his attention on his partner and on celebrating Christmas with his family, Troyer said.

Sheriff's investigators are still piecing together the events of Monday night at the Eatonville-area home where David E. Crable, 35, opened fire on the two deputies.

Hausner and Mundell were summoned to the Tanwax Lake home of Crable's brother, Jason, who had reported that his "drunk and belligerent" brother was an unwanted guest. Also home at the time were Bryona and Jason's girlfriend, Bridget Warren.

David Crable had agreed to leave the home with the deputies, but instead pulled out a handgun that had been hidden in a shirt tucked under his arm and opened fire.

Mundell was shot several times but managed to return fire, striking Crable, Troyer said. Hausner also was wounded in the gunfire.

Before the mortally wounded Crable could fire again, Bryona Crable "jumped on her dad and fought him for his gun," Troyer said.

"He went down and never got up again," said Troyer.

The girl then ran outside, summoned neighbors and dialed 911.

Jason Crable and his girlfriend protected Hausner by dragging him into another room, barring the door and administering first aid, while Bryona went for help.

"She's absolutely a hero, but she's also a victim. She witnessed her dad being shot," Troyer said. "She's had a bad life at her dad's hands. She saw her dad shoot two deputies and she stood up and did the right thing and tried to help our guys."

For years the girl has been at the center of family fights involving her father, a man whose life was plagued by alcohol and violence, according to court records.

After the shootings the girl, her uncle and his girlfriend left the Tanwax Lake home near Eatonville with little more than their clothes. The property has been torn to pieces during the criminal investigation. It was more than two days before they were even able to retrieve their cellphones, said Warren, Jason Crable's girlfriend.

"We're going minute by minute," Warren said Thursday morning. "Obviously, we can't go back to our house, so at this point, everything's up in the air."

Lacking relatives in the area, Warren said they've been staying with friends. They're trying to figure out what to do about a funeral for David E. Crable.

The girl's bleak Christmas has weighed heavily on the minds of sheriff's deputies and the community, Troyer said.

On Thursday, the Sheriff's Department, Nordstrom and Toys For Tots gave the girl Christmas gifts, Troyer said. He said that Bryona was appreciative of the gifts but remains stunned about what happened inside her uncle's home.

On Wednesday, Bryona posted a note on her MySpace.com page that read, "R.I.P. Daddy, I love you."

"We feel terrible about what happened," said Colin Johnson, spokesman for Nordstrom. "We wanted to make a small contribution. Our hearts go out to all of the families impacted by this tragedy."

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com

Seattle Times staff reporters Maureen O'Hagan and Steve Miletich contributed to this report.