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Terry Allen Starkweather

Age : 36

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 08/24/2022

Location : Lyons Self Storage, 1707 E. Lyons Avenue

City : Spokane

County : Spokane

State : Washington

Agency : Spokane County Sheriff’s Office

Officer(s) :Darin Staley

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during arrest

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/21/2022, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Darin Staley shot 36-year-old Terry Allen Starkweather Jr. during an attempted arrest at Lyons Self Storage, 1707 E. Lyons Avenue in Spokane. Starkweather remained hospitalized for three days and died from his wounds on 08/24/2022.
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The encounter began after Staley received information at approximately 6:25 a.m. that Starkweather was at the storage facility. Starkweather was wanted on outstanding felony warrants for unlawful possession of a firearm, second-degree assault and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Staley located Starkweather at a storage unit and called Deputy Roman Maier to assist with the arrest.
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Staley and Maier developed a plan to approach Starkweather from opposite directions in the narrow lane between two rows of storage units. Maier drove a marked sheriff’s patrol vehicle into the lane from the south and positioned it in front of Starkweather’s pickup truck, while Staley approached on foot from the north.
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According to the police investigation, Maier told Starkweather that he was under arrest and ordered him to put his hands in the air. Police reported that Starkweather instead moved from the bed of his pickup into the driver’s seat.
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Police alleged that Starkweather rapidly reversed the pickup toward Staley, who was standing in the confined space between the storage buildings. Staley fired his service weapon as the truck moved backward. The pickup then struck one of the storage buildings.
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Police alleged that Starkweather subsequently shifted the pickup into drive and moved forward toward Staley, who remained confined by the parallel storage buildings. Staley fired again. The pickup then stopped. Staley was the only officer identified as firing during the encounter.
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Deputies provided emergency medical treatment until medical personnel arrived. Starkweather was transported to a hospital in critical condition. He died from the gunshot wounds on 08/24/2022.
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The Spokane Independent Investigative Response Team investigated the shooting, with the Spokane Police Department serving as the managing agency because Spokane County Sheriff’s Office personnel were involved. Investigators obtained body-worn-camera footage, surveillance-camera recordings, forensic evidence and statements from Staley and Maier. The completed investigation was forwarded to the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office in January 2023.
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On 03/31/2023, the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office announced that Staley would not face criminal charges. Prosecutors accepted Staley’s account that he believed the pickup was about to strike him and concluded that his use of deadly force constituted lawful self-defense.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
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Darin Staley had served with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office since December 1994 and had approximately 27 years with the department when he shot Starkweather. He had worked as a patrol deputy and field-training officer before being promoted to detective/corporal in 2005. He subsequently worked in Property Crimes and Major Crimes and was promoted to sergeant in September 2019.
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Staley was placed on administrative leave following the shooting. By the time prosecutors completed their review in March 2023, he was described as a 28-year veteran of the sheriff’s office. Prosecutors declined to charge him in Starkweather’s death.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/aug/24/wanted-man-shot-by-deputy-sunday-in-spokane-is-dea/
https://www.insideselfstorage.com/crime/sheriffs-deputy-shoots-felony-suspect-spokane-wa-self-storage-facility
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/sep/22/the-five-people-killed-by-police-in-2022/
https://my.spokanecity.org/police/news/2022/08/25/e-lyons-ois-incident/
https://www.spokanecounty.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=4089
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/mar/31/deputy-who-killed-36-year-old-man-last-summer-in-n/