August 7, 2019
Olympia, WA – Shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 3, Washington State Patrol (WSP) personnel, along with officers from a number of other law enforcement agencies in southeastern Washington, concluded a high speed pursuit of an armed suspect in a stolen car near the Snake River Bridge east of Pasco. The suspect brandished a gun and was engaged by two WSP Troopers as well as a Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy. Multiple shots were fired and the suspect received non-life threatening injuries. No law enforcement personnel were injured in the exchange and the suspect was eventually taken into custody where her medical needs were attended to.
WSP is releasing the names of the two troopers who fired their weapons in this incident. Trooper James Stairet is a seven year veteran of WSP and is assigned to the WSP field office in Kennewick. Trooper Cody Mueller is a six year veteran of WSP and is assigned to the Walla Walla field office.
After the incident, both troopers were transported to the Pasco Police Department headquarters for standard debriefing and processing after a shots-fired incident.
As is the policy and practice of WSP, the investigation of an officer-involved incident in Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla counties is investigated by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU). SIU in those counties is comprised of fourteen (14) municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies including WSP and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The SIU is charged with conducting a thorough investigation in a timely fashion and is designed to promote public trust as it is able to objectively investigate incidents without any fear of biased or favorable treatment. This specific Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) investigation is being led by Richland Police Department and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
WSP Chief John R. Batiste stated that Saturday’s events showed, “the value of cooperation and coordination between WSP and our many partners in law enforcement in the state of Washington.” He added, “I would like to offer my appreciation and support to all of the troopers, deputies, and officers involved in this incident for their courage and relentlessness as they pursued these suspects. This is a dangerous occupation and the men and women of local, county, state, and national law enforcement agencies should be always commended for their commitment to public safety in the face of danger.”
Troopers who are involved in a shots-fired incident are assigned to administrative duties and provided necessary support while the incident is investigated. They are not allowed to discuss ongoing investigations with the media or public and we ask that media representatives respect their personal and professional privacy. A full report will be made available to the public once the investigation is concluded and this office will be happy to respond to inquiries after that time.
All media questions regarding Saturday’s events should be directed to the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office at 509-527-3265.
Anyone with information that could aid in the investigation is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Bill Parramore of the Pasco Police Department at 509-727-8529.
Questions regarding the Officer Involved Shooting Investigation can be directed to Captain Jeff Taylor at the Richland Police Department. Captain Taylor can be reached at 509-942-7363.
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