Man Who Died In Accidental Shooting Has Wallet Stolen by Bystander

Mount Vernon, WA –  In a disturbing story, Skagitbreaking.com has learned that an Illinois man, who accidentally shot himself in his vehicle in  the Mount Vernon Safeway Parking Lot,  was robbed by a bystander as he died.

According to a probable cause affidavit of arrest, obtained by SkagitBreaking.com through a public disclosure request, on August 11th, 2016, Mount Vernon Police, Fire and Emergency Medical staff responded to the Mount Vernon Safeway Parking lot around 3:50 pm for a medical response.

A witness who drove into the parking lot reported to Safeway staff that a male with a bloody face  was sitting in a Jeep rocking back and forth with his eyes closed in what the witness thought was a drug issue.  Safeway employees went to check on the man and called 9-1-1.  The reporting party, a Safeway employee had notified dispatchers that a male with a bloody face was sitting in a jeep and was non responsive.

Responding Officers and Medics quickly realized the man had a gunshot wound to his left leg and secured the scene and witnesses  while medics treated the man and readied him for transport to the hospital.  While at the scene, Police Investigators noticed a few items of interest outside the Jeep the man was sitting in, including a leather gun holster and a .45 cal magazine clip with 6 rounds still in the clip.  

One witness who had been identified  on scene as  Laura Michelle Cowan of Concrete, did not stay to be interviewed by Investigators about what she had observed,  even after she said she would provide a statement to Officers.  She was with a male, identified as Troy Woodworth, inside a green Jeep Explorer registered to a different woman.

The man who accidentally shot himself was later identified as 77-year old Christopher Daszkiewicz of Illinois.  He died in the Emergency Room  at Skagit Valley Hospital  a short time after arriving by ambulance,   due to loss of blood from the gunshot wound.

Mr. Daszkiewicz had been waiting in the Safeway Parking lot while his  wife  of 54 years, Beverly Daszkiewicz, shopped in the store.   The two had traveled to the Newhalem Creek Camp Ground in Newhalem, Washington in July of 2016 from Glenn Allyn, Illinois.  They had been  spending their retirement volunteering for the National Park Service as campground  hosts for campgrounds in the area.

Investigators were able to view inside the Jeep from outside the vehicle and noted on the driver’s side seat and floorboard, there was a large amount of pooled blood.  In the blood was a flip style cell phone that was turned on with the screen illuminated.  Beverly told investigators that  this was their cell phone. On the passenger’s side floorboard was a .45 caliber handgun and on the passenger side seat was a .45 caliber bullet.

Due to the nature of the incident, Officers received a signed search warrant for the victims vehicle. It was determined by Officers in speaking with the victims wife Beverly,  that Mr. Daszkiewicz wallet and black Garmin GPS unit were both missing.

Beverly had told Officers that Mr. Daszkiewicz had a brown wallet wrapped with Rubber bands that he always kept on top of the center console in the Jeep when he drove it and the GPS was in the vehicle when she went in to go shopping,  as they had used it to get from their campground in Newhalem to the Safeway store in Mount Vernon. Both were missing from the vehicle.

Due to the fact that items were missing from the victims vehicle, witnesses were re-interviewed by Officers.  One witness told Officers that while he was on the phone with Skagit 9-1-1 he had contact with a female,  identified as  LAURA MICHELLE COWAN (DOB 12/30/1978).  The man saw Laura Cowan come up to the Jeep and he said she became hysterical when she saw the scene of the victim and the blood. He said he saw LAURA Michelle COWAN run over to the passenger side of the Jeep, open the door and enter into the vehicle.  He said COWAN was in the vehicle for around 5-10 seconds when she made a movement where she grabbed items, including a holster and a magazine to the victim’s firearm on the seat and threw the items outside of the vehicle. He said she then left and went back to her Ford explorer which was parked nearby. Investigators attempted to contact Cowan but were unable to locate her at that time.

On August 15th, 2016, two Detectives from the  Mount Vernon Police Department traveled to the 46000 block of Baker Loop Road in Concrete to attempt to Contact Laura Cowan. The homeowner advised deputies that she had been staying there and driving their Green Ford Explorer but was not home.

On September 4th, 2016, a Skagit County Sheriffs Deputy made contact with LAURA COWAN in the 46000 block of Baker Loop Road in Concrete, where she was staying.  Cowan admitted to the deputy that she knew police were looking for her in reference to the incident at Safeway. Cowan Provided the Deputy with a written statement on the incident.

On September 7th, 2016, Investigators were able to make contact with TROY WOODWORTH, who was in the Green Ford Explorer with Laura Cowan at Safeway.  Mr. Woodworth told investigators that he had been sitting in the Ford Explorer  in the parking lot of Safeway while Laura Cowan was outside the vehicle coming back from Jack in the Box.   Mr. Woodworth told Investigators he heard a shot go off and saw the other witnesses in the area, but did not see anyone around the Victims vehicle.  He told Investigators that when Laura Cowan returned from Jack in the Box they saw the commotion at the Victims Jeep and he said  they went over to the driver’s side of the Jeep and saw the victim. He said that Laura Cowan got Hysterical and went to the passenger’s side of the Jeep and got into the vehicle. He told Investigators that he couldn’t see what Laura Cowan was doing but that after some time she got out of the Jeep and they went back to their Ford Explorer. He said that after speaking with an Officer, Laura Cowan drove away from the scene before providing a statement.

Mr. Woodworth told investigators that while leaving the scene, Laura Cowan handed him a wallet and provided him with 2-$20.00 bills. He believed that the $40.00 he was given has half of what was possibly in the wallet and that Laura Cowan had kept the other half of the money for herself. He was unsure though,  as he had not seen the wallet or money before it was handed to him. He said that Laura Cowan then told him to “get rid of the wallet.”   He told investigators he threw the wallet into a wooded area in Mount Vernon while they drove back to Concrete.  He said he was dropped off at his residence and Laura Cowan returned to the residence she was staying at in the Cedar Grove area.

Investigators applied for and were granted a search warrant for the residence in the 46000 block of Baker Loop Road as well as the Ford Explorer.

On September 9th, 2016, LAURA COWAN admitted to investigators that she stole Christopher Daszkiewicz’s  wallet and GPS Unit  while he sat in his truck bleeding to death from a gunshot wound to his leg.

Laura Cowan admitted the  wallet  included Mr. Daszkiewicz’s  cash, credit cards, and a check.  She also admitted to trading the  GPS unit to a friend.  Laura Cowan acknowledged she stole these items while the victim was still alive.

Laura Cowan has 12 PRIOR felony Convictions. She was arrested on September 9th, 2016 from a residence  in the 46000 block of Baker Loop Road. She is currently being held in the Skagit County Jail in Lieu of $20,000 bail for three counts of THEFT in the 2nd degree, One count of THEFT 3rd Degree for the incident at the Mount Vernon Safeway on August 11th, 2016.

Laura Cowan is also being held in the Skagit County Jail  on the following charges: DWLS 3rd $2,500 bail, Poss/MFG/Del  $1,000 bail, THEFT 3rd $2500 bail, DWLS 3rd $1,500 bail.