Police Department

Prosecutor Determines No Criminal Liability in February 11, 2014, Deputy-Involved Shooting

The Spokane County Prosecutors Office has reviewed the case of the Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) incident involving Spokane County deputies and Jed Zillmer, which occurred on February 11, 2014, near the Spokane Valley Mall.

Monique Cotton 509.363.8285

Friday, August 1, 2014 at 9:07 a.m.

The incident was investigated by the Spokane Investigative Regional Response (SIRR) Team, comprised of the Spokane Police Department, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, the Washington State Patrol, and other local agencies. The Spokane Police Department was the managing agency in this investigation. The SIRR Team completed its investigation, which was forwarded to the Spokane County Prosecutors Office for review.

In his legal analysis, Deputy Prosecutor Driscoll concluded:

"The deputies were justified in their use of deadly force. Mr. Zillmer was heavily armed, wearing a bullet-proof vest, and repeatedly stated that he wanted to engage law enforcement and force them to shoot him, even stating that he would shoot civilians if law enforcement took too long. He was involved in a high speed pursuit on a heavily traveled interstate, endangering both the officers and others. He stopped in an area where there were many civilians, with access to a nearby shopping malls, as well as numerous law enforcement officers. Officers gave him numerous opportunities to end this peacefully. When shot, he appeared to the officers to be reaching with his left hand for a weapon inside his vest, while still holding a weapon in his right hand. A weapon was found in the vest where he was seen reaching. Officers clearly had probably cause to believe Mr. Zillmer posed a threat of serious physical harm to officers and civilians alike. He was armed with a pistil that he refused to put down, had access to many others and stated an intent to use them if not stopped. Officers were acting in a good faith that their use of deadly force was justified, without malice or evil intent. No criminal liability attaches and no charges will be filed."

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