Washington Deputies Fired 34 Rounds in Fatal Shooting
Washington deputies fired 34 rounds in the fatal shooting of an armed suspect that sparked violent protests last month — so many that they mistakenly thought he was firing back at them, according to reports.
An investigation showed three Clark County deputies shot 21-year-old Kevin Peterson Jr. when he fled a drug-dealing sting in Hazel Dell on Oct. 29, aiming a semi-automatic handgun at them.
A lawyer representing the family, Lara Herrmann, called for an apology for the initial public statements that Peterson Jr. had shot at the officers.
“When law enforcement makes a false accusation, as they did in the shooting of Kevin, it’s heartbreaking for the family,” Hermann said in a statement to both papers.
Other lawyers for the family also challenged the suggestion that he had posed a lethal threat. “Nobody should die over a fistful of Xanax,” Mark Lindquist, another lawyer for the family said. Detectives were trying to arrest him for the sale of 50 Xanax pills.