Search fatalities

On 08/05/2021, members of the Seattle Police Department SWAT team responded to a residence in the 10000 block of 21st Avenue SW in White Center to serve a warrant for the arrest of Isaiah Thomas Hinds, 22, who was wanted for the March 17, 2021 murder of 19-year-old DeAundre Wallace inside the Alive & Well Church and Community Center in south Seattle. Officers surrounded the residence and repeatedly announced their presence over a public-address system. Hinds exited the residence armed with a handgun and immediately fired multiple rounds at officers. Three officers returned fire, striking Hinds. Officers rendered first aid until Seattle Fire Department medics arrived, but Hinds was pronounced dead at the scene. Police recovered a handgun from Hinds' hand that had been reported stolen in King County in June 2021.
Body-worn camera footage and surveillance video were released by the Seattle Police Department within 72 hours of the shooting. The video shows Hinds exiting the residence with a handgun and firing at officers before they returned fire.
On August 9, 2021, Seattle Police publicly identified the three officers who fired their weapons as Officer Bradley Krise (hired 2007), Officer Jonathan Musseau (hired 2008), and Officer Joseph Renick (hired 2005).
The shooting was investigated by the Seattle Police Force Investigation Team with oversight from the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) and the Office of Inspector General (OIG), as required under Seattle's police accountability system.
The warrant served on Hinds stemmed from the fatal shooting of DeAundre Wallace during a church meeting on March 17, 2021. Investigators alleged Hinds entered a second-floor meeting room and shot Wallace multiple times before fleeing.
Court records showed Hinds had an extensive violent criminal history dating to 2014, including convictions for second-degree assault, drive-by shooting, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Prosecutors also documented that Hinds had previously threatened to commit "suicide by cop" rather than return to prison.

https://komonews.com/news/local/officers-kill-gunman-who-fatally-shot-19-year-old-at-south-seattle-church
https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2021/08/05/spd-officers-fatally-shoot-homicide-suspect-while-preparing-to-serve-warrant-in-white-center/
https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/man-shot-killed-by-seattle-police-identified-suspect-fatal-church-shooting/J5J4A6H4GJH3DJ4WJQ2KQY5JIM/
https://www.king5.com/article/news/crime/suspect-south-seattle-church-shooting-killed-by-police/281-0e3b6b17-0d5f-4c47-a7e3-2b8df4c0d4a

At approximately 6:41 p.m. on July 9, 2021, deputies from the Lewis County Sheriff's Office, along with officers from the Winlock Police Department, responded to a domestic violence call at a residence in the 100 block of Marsyla Heights Drive in Winlock, Washington. The call involved Michael J. Petit, who had reportedly assaulted a 72-year-old family member. The female victim informed officers that Petit physically assaulted her, discharged a handgun, and at one point pointed it at her, pulling the trigger, though the firearm did not discharge.
Law enforcement attempted to establish communication with Petit over several hours, urging him to surrender. When negotiations failed, officers deployed an unspecified "technological asset" to gain insight into the situation inside the residence. Following this deployment, officers encountered Petit, resulting in an exchange during which Petit sustained a fatal gunshot wound. Initial reports suggested the gunshot may have been self-inflicted, but subsequent information indicates police involvement in the shooting during the domestic violence call.

https://www.chronline.com/stories/winlock-man-found-dead-after-swat-standoff,268884 

On 06/25/2021, Dwayne Michael Fields was killed by Washington State Patrol Trooper Stephen O'Brien following a police pursuit in Fife, Washington. Police reported that Fields drove away in a stolen terminal tractor taken from a Coca-Cola distribution facility after the owner witnessed the theft and called 911 while following the vehicle. Fife police located the tractor and attempted to stop it with spike strips while Washington State Patrol assisted by blocking intersections ahead of the pursuit. Police reported that Fields drove through several warehouse properties, damaged fences and gates, and struck a Fife police vehicle, disabling it.
The pursuit ended at an industrial warehouse parking lot on East 20th Street. Fife officers confronted Fields after the tractor stopped. Officer Ryan Wyrwitzke deployed a Taser, but investigators reported that only one probe made contact and it was ineffective. Trooper Stephen O'Brien, armed with a patrol rifle, then fired nine rounds as the terminal tractor moved backward. Fields was struck once in the back of the neck and three times in the upper back. Officers removed him from the vehicle and attempted lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Pierce County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds.

Fields stopped briefly during the final encounter, turned toward Fife Officer Ryan Wyrwitzke and raised his hands. O’Brien moved to the front of his patrol vehicle carrying his rifle. When the truck began rolling backward again, Wyrwitzke fired a Taser. Only one probe connected. Fife Officer Melissa Calder simultaneously drove forward to try to immobilize the truck’s rear wheel with her patrol car.
O’Brien backed away, moved laterally and fired nine rifle rounds into the cab. Fields was struck once in the back of the neck and three times in the upper back. The investigative summary does not describe Fields possessing or displaying a firearm or other conventional weapon. The asserted deadly threat was the moving truck. The state auditor emphasized that its review examined the quality and legal compliance of the investigation, not whether O’Brien’s shooting itself was justified. Pierce County prosecutors eventually wrote a May 17, 2023 memorandum declining to charge O’Brien. O’Brien declined to provide an investigative statement. Investigators instead had his dash-camera footage, microphone audio, nine cartridge casings, his rifle, two business surveillance recordings and the bullets recovered from Fields’s body.
The audit also identified procedural problems:
Investigators waited approximately two and a half weeks to interview the witness officers.
The file lacked documentation showing the witness officers were kept separated or ordered not to discuss the shooting.
A Tacoma police officer who was not assigned to the investigation accessed two reports in the case file.
PCFIT did not fully comply with certain conflict-of-interest documentation requirements.
The investigative team had deficiencies in communicating with Fields’s family and community representatives.
The Pierce County Force Investigation Team conducted the investigation. Trooper O'Brien was publicly identified approximately two weeks later and placed on administrative leave during the investigation. No criminal charges or public disciplinary action resulted from the shooting.
Three years later, on July 31, 2024, O'Brien again used deadly force, fatally shooting Ivan Zatsyev during a Washington State Patrol pursuit in Pierce County.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/washington/articles/2021-06-25/police-shoot-kill-man-in-fife-after-stolen-vehicle-chase
https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article252629928.html
https://www.piercecountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/111743/PCFIT-PR-2-4-22

On June 17, 2021, officers from the Marysville Police Department responded to reports of shots fired in the 4200 block of 88th Street Northeast. Shawn Michael Roy Montoya reportedly left the scene in a white pickup truck. When an officer spotted the vehicle and attempted to initiate a traffic stop, Montoya continued driving. An officer used his vehicle to disable Montoya’s truck. As officers approached the truck, they heard a gunshot. Police reported that Montoya died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/police-after-short-chase-in-marysville-man-dies-by-suicide/ 

On May 23, 2021, Dion Johnson, 46, was suspected of shooting two individuals, including his young son, in SeaTac, Washington. A man identifying himself as the man called 911 to turn himself in. When deputies from the King County Sheriff's Office approached his vehicle at 118 68th Avenue South in Kent, Washington, Johnson reportedly shot and killed himself.

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/seatac-shooting-suspect-likely-killed-himself-son-released-hospital/UKOWDVRNGBESZMFASMR22HVSQY/ 

On May 12, 2021, around 5 p.m., a 52-year-old man was reportedly barricaded inside a vehicle near 173rd Street South and A Street South in Spanaway, Washington. During the standoff, the man allegedly fired a shot at a deputy, though no injuries were reported. Shortly after, the man reportedly shot and killed himself.

https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/pierce-county-sheriff-deputies-investigate-officer-involved-shooting-in-spanaway/281-753aa860-ac4a-475d-8240-244aa8e35e65 

On May 9, 2021, deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office pursued a car driven by Ricky G. Cruz, 28, in the northbound lanes of U.S. 395 near Pasco, Washington. As Cruz approached the intersection with Foster Wells Road, he crossed into the southbound lanes of the highway and collided head-on with an oncoming semi-truck. Both Cruz and his passenger, Karlie Moore, 23, were killed in the crash.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 2 Fatalities

https://komonews.com/news/local/police-chase-ends-in-deadly-crash-near-pasco-in-eastern-wash 

On May 9, 2021, deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office pursued a car driven by Ricky G. Cruz, 28, in the northbound lanes of U.S. 395 near Pasco, Washington. As Cruz approached the intersection with Foster Wells Road, he crossed into the southbound lanes of the highway and collided head-on with an oncoming semi-truck. Both Cruz and his passenger, Karlie Moore, 23, were killed in the crash.

https://komonews.com/news/local/police-chase-ends-in-deadly-crash-near-pasco-in-eastern-wash

On April 17, 2021, around 3:30 a.m., Spokane Police responded to a report of a suspected car prowling in the 500 block of South Cannon Street. A victim reported that Vadim A. Grishchuk had broken into his vehicle and pointed a gun at him when confronted. When officers arrived, Grishchuk pointed the gun at police after being given commands and allegedly fired a shot. Officer Brandon Roy shot and killed Grishchuk during the encounter.

https://www.krem.com/article/news/crime/man-killed-in-officer-involved-shooting-in-spokane/293-eb951dec-20f4-4c93-b4cb-c868bfc6b9f5

On April 12, 2021, Blane Peterson, 29, died from a gunshot wound following a police pursuit and standoff in Spokane, Washington. Multiple agencies, including the Airway Heights Police Department, Kalispel Tribal Police Department, Spokane Police Department, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Spokane Valley Police Department, and Washington State Patrol, were involved in the incident. After the chase concluded, Peterson was reportedly involved in a standoff with law enforcement during which he shot and killed himself.
TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 Fatality

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/apr/12/spokane-police-warn-of-armed-and-dangerous-person-/

On March 24, 2021, officers from the Yakima Police Department and Yakima County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of an assault at a Taco Bell around 5:10 p.m. A 22-year-old woman informed police that her 41-year-old former boyfriend had assaulted her and stolen her car. She reported that he had shown up at her workplace, requested a ride, and after she agreed, he assaulted her, placed her hands in zip ties, and forced her to pull into a parking lot. She managed to escape and seek help at a nearby Taco Bell. Shortly after, officers located the stolen vehicle, leading to a pursuit. A Yakima County Sheriff's Deputy attempted to stop the vehicle by ramming it, but the chase continued until the man eventually stopped. The man then pulled out a gun and fatally shot himself.

https://newstalkkit.com/man-kills-himself-after-assaulting-former-girlfriend/

On March 10, 2021, Chandler Radley, 22, was involved in a pursuit with the Washington State Patrol. After wrecking his vehicle near Harlan Landing, he fled from the scene on foot and went missing. Several days later, Radley was found dead in the Naches River. His death was determined to be the result of drowning.

https://komonews.com/news/local/missing-man-found-dead-in-naches-river-after-high-speed-chase 

Around 2:30 a.m. on March 9, 2021, Grant County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle. Deputies observed a person acting suspiciously, who then entered a vehicle and sped away. Deputies pursued the vehicle, and during the chase, the driver lost control, causing the vehicle to flip and crash into a yard. Danielle C. Shockey, a passenger in the vehicle, was killed in the crash.

https://www.khq.com/news/passenger-killed-after-police-chase-near-ephrata/article_bbe920b4-80e0-11eb-9622-d729e89f11ae.html 

On February 23, 2021, around 1:15 p.m., a man met with a woman in the courtyard of a housing services program in Seattle's Central District. The man allegedly made threatening statements before pulling out a gun and firing at the woman, who managed to escape without injury. After the attempted shooting, the man fatally shot himself at the scene.

https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2021/02/police-respond-to-armed-gunman-reported-at-23rd-and-yesler-catholic-community-services-building/

On February 16, 2021, around 9:20 p.m., Port of Seattle officers contacted the Seattle Police Department regarding Derek J. Hayden, a man in mental health crisis with a kitchen knife. When officers arrived, Hayden fled down Alaskan Way. PSPD officers attempted to de-escalate the situation by following Hayden. They also employed a less-lethal 40mm launcher that fires foam-tipped projectiles, but this method was unsuccessful in subduing him. SPD officers, including Officers Cassidy Butler and Willard Jared, arrived. Both officers discharged their firearms, killing Hayden.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/police-shooting-downtown-waterfront/

On February 9, 2021, around 9:15 p.m., Seattle Police officers responded to reports of a shooting near 24th Avenue South and South Massachusetts Street. Upon arrival, officers heard multiple gunshots being fired. Gregory Taylor emerged from around the corner of the parking lot of the Northwest African American Museum, raised his firearm, and began shooting at the officers. Police shot and killed him during the confrontation.

https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/seattle-police-shooting-central-district/281-597713e6-84b0-4bd0-8e89-de2c5db981f3 

On February 4, 2021, around 7:41 p.m., deputies from the Clark County Sheriff's Office conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of Northeast 68th and Northeast 2nd Avenue in Hazel Dell, Washington. During the traffic stop, one of the deputies shot Jenoah Donald (also known as Donald D. Jonah). Donald was transported to the hospital, where he remained in critical condition. His family was informed that there was nothing more doctors could do, and they began preparations for his funeral.

https://www.opb.org/article/2022/02/17/family-of-jenoah-donald-files-wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-clark-county-deputies/
https://www.opb.org/article/2021/07/13/prosecutors-rule-fatal-police-shooting-of-jenoah-donald-justified/

On January 25, 2021, around 11 p.m., Pierce County Sheriff's deputies responded to a domestic disturbance involving an elderly man and his adult son, John Eric Ostbye, who were reportedly engaged in a heated argument. A firearm was allegedly brandished before deputies arrived. Upon arrival, deputies encountered Ostbye exiting a trailer, allegedly armed with at least one knife or edged weapon. Deputies shot and killed Ostbye when he failed to comply with their commands.

https://www.king5.com/article/news/graham-ois/281-bd7a35f0-736b-4e16-8875-0407052a1842

Just after midnight on January 16, 2021, Kent Police officers responded to a report of a robbery involving a firearm at the East Hill Market. The store clerk reported that an individual had been loitering before approaching the counter, pulling out a gun, and demanding money before leaving. Officers noted the description of the individual matched one from an earlier robbery at a nearby convenience store. A responding officer observed a vehicle rapidly leaving a nearby parking lot. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, initiating a pursuit. During the chase, the vehicle veered off the road at high speed and collided with a tree, resulting in the driver's death.

https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/medical-examiner/decedents?utm_ 

On January 5, 2021, Spokane Police officers were searching for a person connected to a December 27, 2020, homicide. They located Joseph Buskirk driving in North Spokane. When officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, Buskirk tried to escape in his vehicle. Police disabled the vehicle, and after it came to a stop, Buskirk exited the car and allegedly began firing a weapon at officers. Police shot and killed him during the exchange.

https://www.khq.com/news/deadly-officer-involved-shooting-reported-near-queen-and-maple/article_58d2b894-4fdc-11eb-8c0d-ffffb4ce4334.html