Deputy Shoots Man During Trailer Fire at Suspected Drug Lab in Thurston County, WA
Martín Bilbao
The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)
(TNS)
A Thurston County Sheriff’s Office deputy shot a man while responding to a trailer fire in the Yelm area Thursday morning, Sheriff Derek Sanders said.
The shooting occurred just after 9 a.m. at a property on 149th Lane Southeast, which is southeast of Yelm and northeast of Lake Lawrence, Sanders told The Olympian.
The deputy responded to the property to assist the Southeast Thurston Fire Authority with trailer fire. Sanders said fire crews do not respond to this particular property without law enforcement due to prior criminal incidents. He alleged the property is a “drug compound.” When the deputy arrived, a man “produced a firearm and was shot,” Sanders said.
The man has been hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds, Sanders said, but he is expected to survive. Sanders described him as an older man who lives on the property.
When asked if the man fired a gun, Sanders said he “can’t say for sure” at this point, but he confirmed the deputy shot the man with their weapon.
A news release from the Sheriff’s Office provided more details about what happened from the perspective of law enforcement. The deputy reportedly commanded the man to step away from the “fully-engulfed” trailer, the release said.
Instead, the man allegedly presented a firearm and charged toward the deputy, the release states. The deputy reportedly shot the man several times.
Deputies and assisting Yelm police officers seized a second firearm from the man and rendered medical aid, according to the release.
No law enforcement officers or first responders were hurt, according to Sanders and the news release. Firefighters extinguished the trailer fire, Sanders added.
The deputy who shot the man has been placed on administrative leave, per standard protocol, the release states.
The Region 3 Critical Incident Investigative Team (CIIT) will investigate the shooting, Sanders said. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office will not be involved in the investigation, in accordance with state law, the release states.
The Sheriff’s Office initially notified the Washington State Office of Independent Investigations, a state agency tasked with investigating police use of deadly force. However, Sanders said the agency declined to pursue the investigation.
The Region 3 CIIT will take over communicating information about this incident and release the names of the involved deputies, the release states.
The team also is expected to forward the results of their investigation to the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to consider possible charges.
“The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Yelm Police Department and Medics for the immediate response and assistance,” the release states.
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