Deputy kills man armed with pool cue during confrontation
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OLYMPIA, Wash. -- His parents watched in horror as a man swinging a pool cue at a deputy was fatally shot by another deputy.
It happened at about 2:30 a.m. Friday at a home in Littlerock where Thurston County deputies had tracked a suspect from an attempted break-in at the Littlerock Grocery Store.
Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Greg Elwin said the suspect's mother came out of the house, in the 12400 block of Waddel Creek Road SW, and confronted deputies. They were in the process of detaining her when the 26-year-old came out of the house, swinging the heavy end of a pool cue.
"He was swinging it at deputies. At one point, a deputy did deploy a Taser in an attempt to defuse that situation. It proved to be ineffective," said Elwin. "The suspect was getting ready to hit the deputy in the head and another deputy fired a single shot. At this point, everything seems to be point that this was a necessary use of force."
The man was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia where he died. Family members identified him as Keith Miles. Elwin said there was some indication that both alcohol and drugs may have been involved.
Miles' parents are outraged the deputies took such drastic measures. Mother Kim Miles confirmed her son came out of the house with a pool cue and approached several deputies.
"He went into the crowd, they Tased him once, and then not 10 seconds later, they shot him," she said. "And I don't know why they just didn't grab him and throw him on the ground ... I did not think that they needed to pull a gun out and shoot him at point-blank range."
Robert Miles said he heard the shot and just knew deputies had wounded his son.
"I took two steps and one of (the deputies) put me on the ground and then just smashed my head down and handcuffed me, and held me down," he said. "I couldn't move ... I could have saved my son if they would have just let me come in and get him. There wouldn't have been a problem. I don't understand it.
"That many cops, one kid with a stick -- come on. They could have saved his life by putting him on the ground instead of just shooting him."
Kim Miles said her son, who was taking anti-depression medication, may have consumed alcohol prior to the incident.
"I have no idea what was going through his head," she said. "He did come out here and stuff. But with that many police officers, I think they could have just thrown him on the ground."
She was in tears as she described the shooting's aftermath.
"I watched them do CPR on (my son). I watch them pronounce him dead. I watch them tape him to the board and I watched them pack him away," Kim Miles said.
Elwin said the 34-year-old deputy who opened fire is a 6-year veteran of the force who also has previous military experience.
The Lewis County Sheriff's Office will handle the investigation, Elwin said.
It happened at about 2:30 a.m. Friday at a home in Littlerock where Thurston County deputies had tracked a suspect from an attempted break-in at the Littlerock Grocery Store.
Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Greg Elwin said the suspect's mother came out of the house, in the 12400 block of Waddel Creek Road SW, and confronted deputies. They were in the process of detaining her when the 26-year-old came out of the house, swinging the heavy end of a pool cue.
"He was swinging it at deputies. At one point, a deputy did deploy a Taser in an attempt to defuse that situation. It proved to be ineffective," said Elwin. "The suspect was getting ready to hit the deputy in the head and another deputy fired a single shot. At this point, everything seems to be point that this was a necessary use of force."
The man was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia where he died. Family members identified him as Keith Miles. Elwin said there was some indication that both alcohol and drugs may have been involved.
Miles' parents are outraged the deputies took such drastic measures. Mother Kim Miles confirmed her son came out of the house with a pool cue and approached several deputies.
"He went into the crowd, they Tased him once, and then not 10 seconds later, they shot him," she said. "And I don't know why they just didn't grab him and throw him on the ground ... I did not think that they needed to pull a gun out and shoot him at point-blank range."
Robert Miles said he heard the shot and just knew deputies had wounded his son.
"I took two steps and one of (the deputies) put me on the ground and then just smashed my head down and handcuffed me, and held me down," he said. "I couldn't move ... I could have saved my son if they would have just let me come in and get him. There wouldn't have been a problem. I don't understand it.
"That many cops, one kid with a stick -- come on. They could have saved his life by putting him on the ground instead of just shooting him."
Kim Miles said her son, who was taking anti-depression medication, may have consumed alcohol prior to the incident.
"I have no idea what was going through his head," she said. "He did come out here and stuff. But with that many police officers, I think they could have just thrown him on the ground."
She was in tears as she described the shooting's aftermath.
"I watched them do CPR on (my son). I watch them pronounce him dead. I watch them tape him to the board and I watched them pack him away," Kim Miles said.
Elwin said the 34-year-old deputy who opened fire is a 6-year veteran of the force who also has previous military experience.
The Lewis County Sheriff's Office will handle the investigation, Elwin said.
It saddens me how insensitive many of you are. Several police officers and one man with a stick? Not a shovel, not a gun, just a stick.  If it were just another person and not police and some civilian shot and killed him over a pool stick I imagine the shooter would be up on charges. Cops shooting dogs in private yards, cops shooting people where it could of gone differently, people dying in jail, things are getting way to out of hand.
@Grandmacj have you ever held a pool cue,hitting someone in the head could very easily kill a person. The best thing to do is NOT break the law.
The only thing the cops did wrong is they should have shot the punk twice to make sure he's dead.
Police shouldn't carry firearms, as in the UK. Or have more martial arts training than firearm training, as in Japan. I trained martial arts for some years, and if a guy tries to hit me with a pool cue I could easily take it out of his hands (unless the guy has trained for years using this kind of weapon). Of course it's easier to be a couch potato carrying at least two hand guns and fire at anything that moves.
@Damian another dumb a#% comes on here with a stupid comment. So you want to take away guns from the police? Really! So then only criminals will have guns? Think about what your saying, maybe you should move to the uk and defend yourself with you training in martial arts.
@scvette You call me stupid so easily, while you show no data or reasoning backing up your position. I showed two examples of police forces that do things different, and in many cases much batter than the usual US cowboy cop. I'm open to discussion with people that think different than me, but you just don't seem to actually think much. I hope there is people a little more lucid than you inside the police department, trying to figure out how to reduce the death of suspects in hands of abusive police officers.
Where you will feel safe.
@Damian so I see how you didn't even comment on the 2nd amendment,so I can only assume you are not an American, probably from the UK. If so maybe go back there will you will feel safe.
@scvette I see how eager you are to get into a violent situation, you are definitely made of the same material these cops are, no surprise you defend them.
@Damian so you are all for doing away with the 2nd amendment I'm sure. Tell you what,if you yourself as a bleeding heart liberal want to do away with the 2nd amendment, how about you,personally come to my house to collect my guns. Please say you will.
what would have happened if he hit the officer with a pool cue? black eye? broken nose? maybe eye damage? there were 6+ full grown men, police officers, standing around with guns drawn waiting to shoot. 6 men with guns vs 1 man with pool cue. hmmm... sounds F@%KED to me.
@DrJ I can't believe you actually said eye damage! So the officer that he was about to club in the head,should have just said oh it's ok,it could only be career ending eye damage,or maybe just a little bit of brain damage. Although there were 6 officers there,it's not like they all were standing right by the guy,the one officer slipped after trying to taze the guy,and was about to be clubbed,that's when the shot was fired. Black eye broken nose or maybe eye damage really!!
@DrJ You can badly hurt or kill somebody with a pool cue, but you're right, police officers should be able to stop a guy in this situation without killing him, it's not that hard, is what their job is about.
@DrJ sounds like the officer was doing his job,make a note to yourself,don't go after a officer with a potential deadly weapon. And yes a pool cue to the head can kill you.
 @scvette  @DrJ The likelihood of a pool stick killing you is slim. How come 2 or 3 officers couldn't just tackle him.
@Grandmacj @scvette @DrJ the officer that tried to taze him,slipped and fell,the guy had the cue stick up to hit him,possibly in the head,no other officers were close enough to tackle the guy. You say it's just a pool cue,have you ever held one,a strike to the head could very easily kill a person. It's a shame it happened but he brought it on himself
Maybe these parents should have given their son a little more positive guidance while he was younger and still alive...
@josetoyou I agree. Just goes to show you time outs don't work.
Once again, I feel sad for the store owners. They're the only victims here in this story. The worst thing is getting a call in the early morning when these hardworking people are supposed to get some sleep after a long day of work! Why?! Because some maniac threw rocks in their store windows! If I were them, I would have been very angry!  Even if I haven't owned a grocery store yet, I'm intelligent and caring enough to visualize the whole chaos from their aspects. I hope the dead guyâs family will have some courtesy to replace the windows for the store owners, but I kind of doubt that. Â
Anyway, I feel sad for the store owner(s). I know they're hardworking people. Even if they have insurance, I'm sure they have to pay the deductible. Why did the dead maniac vandalize the store windows? Why are some people saying he was a nice person?    A nice person doesnât vandalize another manâs property! God bless! Oh, btw, if youâre religious, have a good sense of morality first! Once again, God bless, hypocrites!Â
he was a twenty five yr old drunk man. he was not a maniac he was made a stupid mistake. i know when i was younger i made a choice and i paid for it. but cops were not so trigger happy back then. i know you have done something in your life your not perfect. Quit calling my friend a maniac!!! Are you one to talk! please have a heart to this family
 @Jennifer Swart I don't know - I made some stupid mistakes too. But they didn't include vandalizing other people's property, stealing from them and trying to assault an armed police officer while they're detaining my mom for whatever harassment she was causing them. There are mistakes (ooops - I cheated on that exam, or ooops - I lied about not going in to work today). Then there is so messed up you are a criminal and assaulting people. And I think it takes a degree of maniac to assault an armed police officer. Your friend was probably really nice but someday I hope you'll accept he was also a criminal and really messed up.
He was a complete F'ing MANIAC! Why else would he come at the police with a freaking pool stick?
@Jennifer Swart  I don't enjoy calling anybody a maniac. But your friend was acting like one when he broke the store windows and when he attacked the officers with the pool cue.  So the observable fact tells me he was - in fact - a maniac!
@Jennifer Swart   Jennifer, since you replied to my statement, I'll reply to yours. The age 25 isn't young. I'm 22! And I take my legal responsibility as a legal adult seriously! I drink, too, but I drink responsibly so I don't make a stupid mistake. Now, how old are you?
im 26
Quoted
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I know you are in a better place But I miss looking at your face You were so young to die Every night I sit and cry Wondering why does it have to be this wayIt hurts so much because thereâs nothing I can do or sayThat can make you come back to me There is one thing thatâs plain to see That one day we will be together again And now until then you will always remain my best friend
This story has an important lesson for foolish people out there. Never underestimate any police officer. At the same time, never overestimate any police officer. Swinging a pool cue at police officers is underestimating police officers. Expecting police officers to shoot you in the arm or leg is overestimating police officers. Know the reality, use your common sense, and cooperate always. If you believe you're innocent, then GET THE BEST LAWYER YOUR MONEY CAN BUY AND FIGHT THEM IN THE COURT! Every task has a right way. If you're going to do it, then do it right!
what cant shoot in leg or arm no they shoot him in the chest reason im learning law because police think they have rights to kill and beat people. hope his mother sews that cop.
 @Jennifer Swart It would be hard to "sew a cop". I'm not sure where you are learning law but police -and anyone taught gun safety and firearm self defense - NEVER shoots to injure because it is a danger to themselves and other nearby innocents. If the news story has the situation correctly reported then the man who the office shot had ability, motive and intent to harm thus making it clear-cut self defense use of a firearm. Perhaps as you continue your study of law you will one day run across the laws regarding deadly force in this state.
 @Jennifer Swart  And about shooting in the leg or arm...  You know? You shouldn't try to learn about the real world from movies, TV shows, or music videos. Also, I advise you to get your IQ checked.
@white tiger my wife at least aint hiding her identity where as you yellow belly guys are she stated her opinion and you decide to treat her like crap all she does is help people she is setting up a fund to help the parents of that so violent man who was drunk to pay for funeral or cremation so shove it at least she has a heart where-as you dont. Silver i hope to see you we are wanting to get a family and friend get together and help his family. thank you for all your negative questions and i didnt think grammar mattered but when putting out an opinion. start making fun of my grammar to and guess what im still better then you guys. due to i care about how his mother and father are handling things. i send my respects to the miles family and god bless you.
 @Jennifer Swart If you want people to take you more seriously, then you should learn to spell and use correct grammar. It's sad to see adults type like 14 year olds.Â
 @Jennifer Swart  Jennifer, please don't tell me you don't know what the latter means. As in the former and the latter? When I was responding to scvette, I was responding to the two of his statements. I agreed with the former, but I agreed more with the latter statement of his. Please go back to school and learn something for god's sake...Â
latter ? do you mean later
 @Judd Justin Swart  Judd your wife asked a simple question out of compassion and in response she was grammatically assaulted by idiots.
@Jennifer Swart    Six cops against one man? Certainly, your reading skill is as limited as spelling skill!  It says, âThe suspect was getting ready to hit the deputy in the head and another deputy fired a single shot. At this point, everything seems to be point that this was a necessary use of force.â It did not matter whether there were six cops or not!Â
@Jennifer Swart  Since you called my name, I'll reply to your statement. Where did I make that spelling mistake? ;-)   I'm just curious...   ;-)Â
@Jennifer Swart there's a lot more thought into when an officer will shoot,he had the shot from the sounds of it,if the others would have had a clear shot,both in front and what's in the background he possibly would have had 5 more holes in him.
we understand he did his job its not really him it was the point six cops vs on man. he was the only one that took action the rest didnt. when there are bar fights more then one person will tackle someone down to the ground. I know i have bartended for many years and seen it. i wish this did not happen.
@Jennifer Swart I think that's a great thing that you are doing by helping your friends mom raise money,tell me how your going to do it and ill even donate to the fund. I'll apologize for my personal attacks,but I will also support my friend anyway I can. Like I said it was an unfortunate accident,in my eyes,and like I said I was not there,my friend did his job,and that's all. I will leave you with this though,if you keep attacking my friend for doing his job,I will chime back in. God bless
yes it was but why attack me the way you did? did i attack you no i was stating my opinions and so were you. i understand the cop is your friend you will contenue to talk to him. thank you for showing that you have a heart. im sorry the cop felt he had to do it. but im still going to try and raise money for keiths mother to help with exspenses.
white tiger OMG your human to look you made a spelling mistake but its ok we all do.
@Jennifer Swart RIP to your friend. I'm sorry you lost a friend,but there is always two sides to a story,you weren't there,I wasn't there so we can only go on what we have heard and read,it's a shame it ended the way it did for both sides.
silverscreen theres no point on contenuein to attack them they said what they needed to be said the are for the cop and we are for keith may he rest in peace. they get their jollies off arguing and putting others down. when i was in school we called them bullies. i know keith was in the wrong but so was the cop neither thing will bring keith back to his family and friends. he was a good man we need to stop this bickering who was right n who was wrong. these two adult men or women are being immature they are attack everyone but really they are showing their true colors. bless you everyone may keith rest in peace. thank you all for the positive and negative remarks and taking a tragic day and making everyone feel miserable even more. im sorry that you have gone so far out of your way to tell me how im not great looking and yes my husband is PBR (pro bull rider) and how a new mother of a beatiful son is so grotesk that you have to try and hummiliate her on a public place bless you white tiger and scvette. may your days be great tomorrow and forever.
Â
god bless
 @scvette  I agree. I especially agree more with the latter statement of yours.  ;-)
@silverscreen83  Hey, pal, what you are doing is called "Personal Attack." You're attacking based on your assumption, too. Now, as far as the people who can't even spell simple words - like the Swarts - are concerned, calling them stupid isn't personal attack or assumption. Rather, it's just stating the observable fact! Know the difference before opening your ignorant mouth. ;-)
I meant didn't score very well.
@white tiger From the looks of him and her,I think they met up at a rodeo,think he might have roped her in a competition,looks like he did score very well.
@Judd Justin Swart  "im still better then you guys..." WELL, KEEP DREAMING, PAL, BECAUSE  I DON'T THINK SO. "start making fun of my grammar to and guess what im still better then you guys..." WELL, I WISH I COULD, BUT I HAVE TO MAKE FUN OF YOUR SPELLING ERRORS ALSO. ;-)  I SEE THAT YOU AND YOUR WIFE ARE MADE FOR EACH OTHER. ;-)
 @Jennifer Swart  What are you? An illiterate? M0R0NS defending a M0R0N... What's new?
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 @Jennifer Swart What is his mother going to sew him....a new uniform ?  Agree, scvette.. !!
@magicmarker  Good one! :-)
 @Jennifer Swart Jennifer they are trained to shoot center body mass. Shooting the weapon from the bad guys hand or in the leg or arm is for the movies. The officer wants no more than to go home safely to his family.Â
@al_wa oh that pool cue throwing would have killed that officer that shot him. they know how to rush someone to get them down.
@Judd Justin Swart Have you ever been hit with the heavy end of a pool stick? I have, and not only does it really freaking hurt, but it can kill if you hit someone in the head or neck with it.
@al_wa Point of clarification: They have learned to shoot anywhere they want to. They are trained to tell people that "... they are trained to shoot center body mass."
Met up with a SPD officer who informed me of this little detail.
@Jennifer Swart before you learn law,learn grammar and spelling. Another thing genius,have you ever fired a weapon? Try to shoot a moving target before you make yourself look even dumber.
@scvette yes i have shot a moving target im a advid hunter. your retarted and probably a city folk who cant shoot anything but BB gun. dont be a butt be smart he was my friend you idiot. six cops one man and couldnt take him down. yeah that was fair. thank you silverscreen83
@scvette You resemble a liberal. You are no conservative i know. Common sense tells you if those were not cops, they would be charged with murder. 6 COPS with 6 night sticks, and you are defending their action to shoot 1 kid, becaue you are a redneck gun supporter eh? If that was your kid, you would be asking the same question, why did they shoot my kid 6vs1? Any of you would be asking that question, so keep bieng hips
@scvette Good one!Â
@Jennifer Swart. Or maybe brother/husband. Tell him to go play with himself instead of us big boys.
thats my husband thank you for calling me an idiot. I do appreciate it I hope you have a great night and god bless your soul.
@Judd Justin Swart oh how nice,sticking up for your idiot sister.
@Judd Justinthe officer is my friend still!!
 @scvette  The "target" in this case, wasn't moving. He was stationary hitting the officer with the pool cue. Try learning to read what happened, haha, especially before you comment negatively on someone's grammar.
@silverscreen83 @flibbles you dumbass,what do u have 1-2 guns,your the dumbass on here,like other have said,the idiot brought a stick to a gun fight,guess he lost huh. I bet you don't even have a cpl,want to meet up and have a man to man.
 @scvette  @flibbles Listen to this guy. What a redneck. Go shoot something.  I own many guns, I hunt and fish.  People like you make people like us responsible gun owners look bad.  You are a disgrace. Such an arrogant prick. Get out of here!
@flibbles another bright one enters,you must be a real idiot,he was just standing there,stationary attempting to hit an officer,must be another Seattle Antii gun liberal. I bet your against anyone owning a gun for personal protection,aren't you?
@scvette Dont come in here and attack her like this. This isn't about her. She is just stating her opinion. Im sure the cop was a good guy, but he killed a kid that didnt need to be. He is trained, as well as every other officer there, to disarm people first and shoot as a last resort. Im sure he regrets doing it, but there needs to be consequences for his actions, and in this case it should be prison. We all make choices in life, and we all have consequences, unless your a cop it seems.Â
 @silverscreen83  @scvette He partied too hard like we all have? I'm sorry but my partying back in the day involved a little drinking and maybe some illegal substances and lots of dancing. It didn't include vandalism, burglary and assaulting cops. In fact, the majority of people I know "partying" means having fun and letting lose - not being a criminal.
@silverscreen83 You approach an officer with a weapon in hand and you SHOULD EXPECT TO BE SHOT!
@scvette Do your homework. He had very little history with the system. Who's really a good kid. He partied too hard like we all have and ended up making a stupid mistake that cost him his life. Its unfortunate, both with him and his decision and the cops decision that somebody died. You assume far to much. If there is any ignorant idiot here it is you. Do some research before you spout off about what you "KNOW", or in your case what you "BET" happened. you continue to make yourself sound foolish.
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@magicmarker huh,not sure if your siding with me or?
@silverscreen83 your one of those people,yep I said it one of those people,probably think he was a good kid,never been in trouble,bet your wrong there buddy,this guy probably has multiple felonies,I'm sure he has at least a assault felony on him,guys like you think this man,not kid,not boy,that is living with his parents still is a good kid and just needed a break. We'll see when it all comes out,he wasn't an upstanding citizen like your kind is portraying him to be.
 @scvette  @silverscreen83 OOPS!  hey, scvette, better enroll in that grammar class with Ms. Swart.... Just sayin'.Â
I dont disagree with self defense. A man should have the right to defend himself, but if I was in a situation where a man tried to hit me with a stick and my pal shot him and killed him, he would go to jail for a long time im sure. My point is that why is it any different with a cop. If he had a gun, then shoot away. I have seen cops disarm men with guns and never fire a shot. These men are supposed to be well trained officers. Its just sad thats all. This poor family had to see their boy killed when there was a CLEAR alternative. Its just sad.Â
 @silverscreen83 The meathead was a threat. You don't go after someone with a pool cue and expect to not to have them defend themselves.
On the Zimmerman/ Martin case: You don't know what you're talking about (again). Zimmerman may be incarcerated for the time being but he has not gone to trial yet (except in the WAY biased press). I foresee that that one coming out as self defense.
I have no problem with a cop killing somebody that is a THREAT. I guarantee though that if this coward killed your kid under these circumstances, you and your rightwing redneck pals would leave the tavern in your muddy ol' pickup trucks and there would be a lynching. I dont lean one way or the other when it comes to politics. A couple of months ago a kid named Trayvon Martin was shot by a civilian who thought he was a threat. That civilian now is looking at life in prison. Why shouldnt this cop. All of the meat head cops should have acted immediately by dissarming him and arresting him and taking him to jail. Not shooting him. It's people like you that make Americans look like hicks to the rest of the world.Â