Man accused of fatally shooting Bellingham principal may have admitted it on Twitter
Credit to Author: Cayley Dobie| Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2019 19:14:21 +0000
BELLINGHAM — The Bellingham man accused of fatally shooting his wife, who was a Bellingham elementary school principal, and their two pets Thursday morning may have admitted to killing his family in Twitter replies to the National Rifle Association, the President of the United States and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Kevin Heimsoth, 56, was identified as the suspected shooter by the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office. He is in critical condition with a self-inflicted gunshot wound at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and is under guard by law enforcement.
Bellingham Sunnyland Elementary School Principal Lynn Heimsoth died at the scene. She was 58.
Lynn Heimsoth’s cause of death was declared a handgun gunshot wound to the head and was officially ruled a homicide by the Whatcom County Medical Examiner. Her time of death was declared around 10:30 a.m. Dec. 26, but initial law enforcement investigation suggests shots may have been heard around 2:45 a.m. that morning, said Whatcom County Medical Examiner Dr. Gary Goldfogel.
While the Twitter account belonging to Kevin Heimsoth could not be verified by The Bellingham Herald, a number of aspects point to it belonging to Kevin Heimsoth: The account is associated with email accounts and phone numbers that belong to him; the account associated with Lynn Heimsoth followed this account; she retweeted the account at least once.
The Twitter account that may have belonged to Kevin Heimsoth sent a series of four reply tweets shortly after 3 a.m. on Dec. 26 stating that the user shot and killed their wife and their dog.
In a reply to the NRA’s Merry Christmas tweet — which had 175 comments and 1,400 likes as of Friday afternoon — the account possibly belonging to Kevin Heimsoth tweeted that “Guns don’t kill people, people do.”
The tweet then goes on to say that AR-15s make it easier, and that the user “jsit (sic) killed my whole family, and i couldnt have done it without a gun!”
The user then calls himself a coward, said he couldn’t have used a knife and then thanks the NRA. In a separate tweet replying to the NRA, the user thanked McConnell for making it possible and then requested a welfare check at the couples’ specific condominium in the 900 block of Marine Drive. The user also addressed shooting his wife’s therapy dog.
Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo declined to comment on the Twitter account because the investigation is ongoing. He urged people who have other information or comments that may be pertinent to the investigation to call the sheriff’s office.
The rest of the KevinH Twitter account, which has been active since January 2014, is mostly political commentary replying to President Donald Trump’s personal Twitter account.
“This horrendous crime impacted many in our community,” Elfo said. “While our investigation has not yet revealed any facts that would indicate a propensity for domestic violence prior to the murder, anyone with information that might be helpful to our investigation and review of this incident is requested to contact the Sheriff’s Office. As this case illustrates, the dynamics of domestic violence can escalate and lead to extreme violence.”
Lynn Heimsoth was the principal at Sunnyland Elementary since July 2017. She previously served as the principal at Shoultes Elementary in Marysville for four years. She also worked for Bremerton, North Kitsap and South Kitsap school districts as an elementary teacher and instructional leader, a Thursday evening statement by Bellingham Public Schools Superintendent Greg Baker said.
“We are heartbroken by this news. Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies are actively investigating the incident,” Baker’s statement said. “Her death is a profound loss to our Sunnyland community, our school district and to our extended community. Lynn was a passionate, equity-driven instructional leader. She loved kids to the core and always kept students’ needs at the centre of her work.”
Elfo said Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the Chartwell Estates condominium in the 900 block of Marine Drive around 10:28 a.m. on Dec. 26 for the report of a murder-suicide.
When deputies arrived, they found Lynn Heimsoth dead from an apparent gunshot wound in her home, Elfo said. Her husband, Kevin Heimsoth, was also found inside the apartment alive, but with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was taken to a local hospital, Elfo said.
Deputies also found Lynn Heimsoth’s therapy dog, Sukha, and a cat both dead from gunshot wounds. Sukha was always by Lynn Heimsoth’s side, Baker’s statement said.
No one else was injured in the shooting.
Members of the school district’s counselling and support team will be available for students at Sunnyland Elementary on Jan. 6 when the students return from winter break, Baker’s statement said. The district also provided resources for families to speak with their children about the tragedy, which help deal with death and grief.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, you can contact the following local resources for free, confidential support:
▪ Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org.
▪ Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015.
▪ Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.
▪ WWU Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.
▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org.