Snohomish deputy shoots, kills man in Bothell

KOMO-TV

BOTHELL -- A Snohomish County sheriff's deputy fatally shot a man during an altercation at a Bothell apartment complex early Thursday.

Police spokesman Robert Goetz did not say exactly what prompted the deputy to fire or whether the other man was armed.

Investigators said the incident began as a domestic dispute between a man, his daughter and the daughter's boyfriend just after 1 a.m. Police said the three lived together at the Archstone Northcreek apartments in the 20200 block of Bothell-Everett Highway

"It's not clear what happened inside the apartment," Goetz said.

When the deputy arrived, he found the man, the boyfriend and another man in the parking lot.

Some sort of altercation ensued and the deputy fired, hitting the boyfriend, who died on the way to a hospital.

"Something happened in that parking lot - some sort of disturbance - confrontation between the deputy and that individual. And shots were fired by the deputy, striking this male and killing him here at the scene."

The victim's name has not been released.

The deputy was not injured and investigators are still trying to piece together exactly what happened. Neighbors reported having heard yelling and gunshots being fired.

"The other male that was outside when the deputy arrived is a witness. He's a pretty key witness," Goetz said. "Once we have an opportunity to interview this independent witness we should have a more clear picture to provide to you."

That third man later told investigators that felt threatened by the boyfriend, and felt his life was in danger.

Goetz said the dead man's girlfriend is pregnant and was taken to the hospital to be checked out. Her father was also taken to a hospital to be treated for a stab wound to the face.

Detectives expected to be at the apartment complex for several hours collecting evidence and interviewing the people involved.

Investigators said the deputy is a 2-year veteran of the force and worked in law enforcement in the years prior. They said he had not discharged his weapon in public prior to Thursday's incident.