Lewis County Calls Lawsuit Meritless
LEWIS COUNTY CALLS LAWSUIT MERITLESS
Deputy involved in shooting properly
followed policies and procedures and acted appropriately pursuant to his
training.
Lewis County and other named
individuals vehemently deny the allegations made in a lawsuit filed on October
15, 2012 by the Estate of a man who was shot and killed by a Lewis County
Sheriff’s Deputy in June of 2011. The
Complaint, filed in federal court in Tacoma, alleges that the Deputy acted
recklessly and negligently when he encountered Steven Petersen in the early
morning hours of June 20, 2011, and engaged in a “shoot first, ask questions
later” approach to law enforcement. The
Complaint seeks an unspecified amount of damages.
“Lewis County vehemently denies
that Deputy Matt McKnight acted recklessly or negligently in any way,” said
Michael Patterson, defense counsel for the County. “Deputy McKnight was faced with a
rapidly-unfolding situation involving a man reported to be carrying a large
knife that he had used to attempt to break and enter a residence nearby. In fear of his own safety and that of the
neighboring residents, he made the split-second decision to shoot, after Mr.
Petersen refused to follow commands, refused to take his hand out of his pocket,
and lunged at him in a threatening manner.
That action was in accordance with his training in such situations.”
After a thorough investigation by
the Critical Incident Response Team, led by the Thurston County Sheriff’s
Office, the Lewis County Prosecutor declined to bring any criminal charges
against Deputy McKnight, determining that no criminal law had been violated by
Deputy McKnight’s actions. A separate
Safety Review Board found that the Deputy properly complied with Sheriff’s
Office policies and procedures during the incident, and that those policies and
procedures provided adequate guidance for such situations.
“No Deputy wants to be involved
in this type of situation,” said Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield. “However, the safety of the public and of our
deputies is our primary concern and Deputy McKnight did everything he was
supposed to do when he came into contact with Mr. Petersen last summer. This incident has not been easy for
anyone. We are sorry for the effect of
Mr. Petersen’s death on everyone involved.”
Lewis
County will vigorously defend these baseless claims.
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