A Washington state official who was fatally shot in the head during a shooting with a suspect was hit by a round fired by his partner, investigators said Friday.
Jonathan Shoop, a 32-year-old officer from the Bothel Police Department, was on call with his field training officer, Mustafa Kumcur, on Monday night when they tried to stop traffic in a black sedan without license plates, but the suspect drove away, the Snohomish County Sheriff Det. David Fontenot wrote in a probable cause statement filed in court.
WASHINGTON POLICE OFFICER MURDERED FOLLOWING THE TRAFFIC STOP HAD “ALWAYS WANTED” TO SERVE, SAYS HIS BROTHER
The Bothell Police Department says Officer Jonathan Shoop “will be deeply missed.” (Bothell Police Department)
The suspect, Eugene Washington, fled from the police, which initially resulted in a brief car chase. He hit a 20-year-old man on a scooter and crashed into a median before stopping, authorities said.
Washington got out of his vehicle and fired two rounds at the patrol’s SUV, breaking the window on the driver’s side where Shoop was sitting. The second shot hit Kumcur’s gun and bounced off, brushing Kumcur in the head.
A witness told investigators that the shooter yelled “Come on, pig” while shooting, Fontenot wrote.
Both officers responded to the fire, firing nine shots, but a bullet from Kumcur’s weapon hit Shoop in the head, killing him, investigators said.
Kumcur removed Shoop from the vehicle and attempted to save his life, Fontenot wrote. Doctors also arrived, but Shoop was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kumcur was treated and released from Harborview Medical Center early Tuesday.
“This was a chain of chaotic events that occurred in a span of just two seconds,” Jennifer Phillips, city manager of Bothell city, said in a statement.
“The officers were still in their vehicle and a suspect quickly approached them with a firearm. According to investigative updates, there appears to have been a tragic crossfire situation that resulted in the death of one of our officers. Let’s be clear , we believe that the suspect’s actions led to this tragic event. “
Washington, which initially alluded to police after the fatal incident, was arrested early Tuesday morning after hiding in a roof near the scene of the shooting and then being trapped between two buildings.
He was charged with aggravated first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and vehicular assault.
Casey McNerthney, a spokesman for the King County District Attorney’s Office, said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press that Washington was legally responsible for the death.
“But for Mr. Washington’s directed attack on officers, Officer Shoop would be alive today,” he said.
Shoop had been with the police department for just over a year. Police said he is survived by his fiancé, his mother and two brothers.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
