Questions raised over Everett police shooting as probe begins
EVERETT - Friends of a man who was shot to death by police early Saturday have raised a number of questions over the shooting, saying the 31-year-old homeowner was simply moving a barbecue smoker in his own backyard before the shots were fired.
But police say the man refused to put down a weapon, despite repeated orders from officers to do so, and that's why they fired at him.
The incident began at 1:44 a.m. Saturday when police responded to a report of a burglary in progress in the 2400 block of 23rd Street in North Everett, said Rebecca Hover of the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. Neighbors had called 911 to report a suspect smashing windows and breaking down the front door of a nearby house, Hover said.
Six officers responded to the call. The first three officers to arrive approached the house where they were confronted by an armed man in the doorway of the house, say police. When he refused to comply with orders to put down his weapon, the three officers fired multiple times, killing the man, Hover said.
The man was declared dead at the scene. The officers were not injured. The identity of the man has not been released.
But two of the man's friends who live at the house say the shooting was a deadly mistake, and that it doesn't make any sense.
"I'm just saying, from what I see, my point of view - is that this doesn't look right," one of those friends, Gunner Nelson, told KOMO News.
The man's friends say there was no crime -- that the 31-year old homeowner was actually moving around a barbecue smoker outside, most likely making a lot of commotion that startled people nearby. They say he lived at the home where he was shot.
It's in the backyard, they insist, where their friend was first shot by police.
"Somebody shot him out there, he ran through the back," Nelson says. "There's evidence to prove that. We cleaned up his blood."
Another friend who lives at the home, Bear Whalen, says, "They say they didn't give him warning. They kicked in the front door. And they said, 'Drop your weapon. ... Bop, bop, bop. Put eight rounds in him. And why that happened, I do not know. I wasn't here. But the fact is, there are rounds in my attic, in the bedroom. They could have handled it a lot better."
Nelson says, "I think they shot into the bedroom to prevent him from going into the bedroom after he had been shot. They shot up into the attic thinking maybe he already got up into the attic."
They say their friend owned handguns -- even had a safe for them -- but they cannot believe he'd brandish a firearm at police.
They say Everett police made a fatal error.
"If this happens to a guy like this, what makes anybody safe?" Nelson said. "This guy is a standup guy."
Officers later determined that nobody else was inside the house. Detectives have not said who owns the house or who lived there, officials said.
The shooting is now under investigation by the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team, a specialized organization of detectives from law enforcement agencies throughout Snohomish County called in to investigate officer-involved shootings.
All three Everett police officers involved in the shooting were placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure while the incident is investigated by an outside agency
One of the officers is a 24-year-old woman who has been with the department for 2 1/2 years. The second officer is a 29-year-old man who has been with the department for 1 1/2 years. The third officer is a 33-year-old man who has been with the department for two years.
Detectives have not confirmed the type of firearm the armed man had.
It is not known exactly how many shots were fired by the officers or if the armed man fired at the officers.
But police say the man refused to put down a weapon, despite repeated orders from officers to do so, and that's why they fired at him.
The incident began at 1:44 a.m. Saturday when police responded to a report of a burglary in progress in the 2400 block of 23rd Street in North Everett, said Rebecca Hover of the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. Neighbors had called 911 to report a suspect smashing windows and breaking down the front door of a nearby house, Hover said.
Six officers responded to the call. The first three officers to arrive approached the house where they were confronted by an armed man in the doorway of the house, say police. When he refused to comply with orders to put down his weapon, the three officers fired multiple times, killing the man, Hover said.
The man was declared dead at the scene. The officers were not injured. The identity of the man has not been released.
But two of the man's friends who live at the house say the shooting was a deadly mistake, and that it doesn't make any sense.
"I'm just saying, from what I see, my point of view - is that this doesn't look right," one of those friends, Gunner Nelson, told KOMO News.
The man's friends say there was no crime -- that the 31-year old homeowner was actually moving around a barbecue smoker outside, most likely making a lot of commotion that startled people nearby. They say he lived at the home where he was shot.
It's in the backyard, they insist, where their friend was first shot by police.
"Somebody shot him out there, he ran through the back," Nelson says. "There's evidence to prove that. We cleaned up his blood."
Another friend who lives at the home, Bear Whalen, says, "They say they didn't give him warning. They kicked in the front door. And they said, 'Drop your weapon. ... Bop, bop, bop. Put eight rounds in him. And why that happened, I do not know. I wasn't here. But the fact is, there are rounds in my attic, in the bedroom. They could have handled it a lot better."
Nelson says, "I think they shot into the bedroom to prevent him from going into the bedroom after he had been shot. They shot up into the attic thinking maybe he already got up into the attic."
They say their friend owned handguns -- even had a safe for them -- but they cannot believe he'd brandish a firearm at police.
They say Everett police made a fatal error.
"If this happens to a guy like this, what makes anybody safe?" Nelson said. "This guy is a standup guy."
Officers later determined that nobody else was inside the house. Detectives have not said who owns the house or who lived there, officials said.
The shooting is now under investigation by the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team, a specialized organization of detectives from law enforcement agencies throughout Snohomish County called in to investigate officer-involved shootings.
All three Everett police officers involved in the shooting were placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure while the incident is investigated by an outside agency
One of the officers is a 24-year-old woman who has been with the department for 2 1/2 years. The second officer is a 29-year-old man who has been with the department for 1 1/2 years. The third officer is a 33-year-old man who has been with the department for two years.
Detectives have not confirmed the type of firearm the armed man had.
It is not known exactly how many shots were fired by the officers or if the armed man fired at the officers.
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