Memorial set for trooper hit, killed in Marysville crash

EVERETT, Wash. — The memorial for a Washington State Patrol trooper hit and killed by a suspected DUI driver is set for Tuesday, Mar. 12.

Trooper Chris Gadd was hit and killed by the driver of a black SUV along I-5 in Marysville at around 3 a.m. on Mar. 2. A witness told Snohomish County deputies that the SUV was driving fast, swerved, and struck the back of Trooper Gadd’s patrol vehicle. The SUV then bounced off the trooper’s vehicle, stopped in the fast lane, and was subsequently hit by a van with six people inside.

The suspect, 32-year-old Lynnwood man Raul Benitez Santana, is facing vehicular homicide charges. Deputies say Santana had bloodshot eyes and admitted to smoking marijuana hours before the crash, as well as drinking two Coors Light beers.

Roughly three and a half hours after the incident, deputies say the reading for Benitez Santana’s blood alcohol content was 0.047. That’s slightly over half the 0.08 legal limit.

In addition, Benitez Santana is a citizen of Mexico and is in the country illegally, according to an ICE spokesperson.

Gadd’s memorial will be held at 1 p.m. at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett.

The service is open to the public. Doors open at noon.

The procession is tentatively leaving from the Tulalip Resort and Casino at 11 a.m. The Washington State Patrol will be releasing the route Monday afternoon.

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