Helicopter Cameras Catch a Deadly SWAT Raid on a Sailboat Were over 200 Rounds Were Fired

Bainbridge Island, Kitsap County, Washington--- A naked gunman fired up to 200 rounds from a sailboat in Bainbridge Island's Eagle Harbor before he was shot dead by police earlier this month, according to a newly released report.
Among the items released Thursday was a 20-minute video shot by King County's Guardian One helicopter. It shows police approaching the man's sailboat and apparently putting a flash bang or other device in it, then retreating. For several minutes, the man, later identified as Robert D. Yeiser, 34, cannot be seen. Then he emerges on the stern of the sailboat and boards some smaller boats tied to the sailboat. He returns and ultimately ends up on the stern of the boat. Photos taken at that time show him pointing a rifle.
Police said they opened fire when he pointed the rifle at officers.
The report, released Thursday by the Washington State Patrol Criminal Investigative Division and the Kitsap County Incident Response Team, said the man first opened fire at shoreline residences and then at responding officers.
The Yeiser was then shot in the chest and abdomen by officers who approached on a boat. He died of his gunshot wounds at the scene.
The entire drama lasted about 4 1/2 hours from the time Yeiser began shooting at 8:30 p.m. on July 8 until he was killed at about 1 a.m. July 9.


Witnesses said the man began firing from an old boat that was anchored between two buoys in the middle of the harbor. The gunfire prompted evacuations and many people to take cover, police said.


One of the bullets hit a wall above a homeowner's bedroom window


"It didn’t look like he was aiming at anything particular," said witness Susanne Park. "He was just kinda shooting and then he’d yell some things. We couldn’t quite make out anything, but he seemed angry."


Police used measures such as flash bangs and some sort of smoking devices to get the gunman to surrender, according to witnesses at the scene.


Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the incident, including members of the Kitsap County Regional SWAT team, according to the newly released report.



Six officers from the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office along with one officer each from the Bremerton Police Department and from the Bainbridge Island Police Department were involved with the incident. All of the involved officers have been placed on paid administrative assignment which is standard procedure in the use of deadly force.