A 61-year-old police officer is in serious but stable condition after being shot in the back of the head in Mount Vernon, Wash., on Thursday night, KIRO-TV reported. The officer was initially taken to Skagit Valley Hospital and then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center, authorities said.

The officer was alert and spoke to medics, troopers said. He was upgraded from critical condition early Friday morning.

Just after 5:30 p.m. PT on Thursday, officers responded to reports of a man shot. When they arrived, they were fired upon by a shooter at the home. Residents around the shooting were evacuated from their homes, and Skagit Valley College staff told people to stay inside and put the campus on lockdown.

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Students at Carver Early College School of Technology attend the school’s art class on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. Atlanta Public Schools plans to convert the campus to a school of the arts that will serve grades 6-12. The plan depends on voters extending a one-cent sales tax for education. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller