A Northport Lawman Killed in a Doorway Ambush
J. D. Diedrick, a 14-year marshal and deputy sheriff, was shot through a closed door while answering a disturbance call. The gunman, Martin Klose, killed himself as a posse approached.
J. D. Diedrick, for 14 years marshal and deputy sheriff at Northport, was shot and killed at Northport Thursday evening by Martin Klose, who afterwards ended his own life with a bullet. Diedrick had been called to the Klose home by report of a disturbance. When he arrived he was refused admittance. Starting to force the door, he was shot in the shoulder, and again in the stomach, the bullets coming through the closed door. When the citizens heard of the occurrence a posse was formed and went to the Klose home. Klose saw them coming and turned his gun upon himself. Diedrick was 43 years of age, a native of Minnesota, and a resident of Washington for 20 years. He was well known throughout Northeastern Washington as a good official, perfectly fearless in discharging his duties. He has been one of Sheriff Graham's most trusted deputies, and in his time has done much effective work for law and order.
“Starting to force the door, he was shot in the shoulder, and again in the stomach, the bullets coming through the closed door.”
The death of a long-serving officer in a remote Stevens County town was the kind of public loss that could define a community's sense of safety. Today, rural deputies still cover vast distances with backup minutes away, and domestic disturbance calls remain among the most dangerous. The story also shows how quickly a private crisis became a public manhunt.
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