Kevin Peterson Jr. death investigation: deputies fired 34 shots at 21-year-old

Posted

The final update on the shooting death of Kevin Peterson Jr. by Clark County Sheriff’s deputies shows that law enforcement fired at the 21-year-old Black Camas man 34 times in the Oct. 29 shooting in Hazel Dell.

A Nov. 25 release from investigators gave the last updates into the shooting before forwarding the information to be reviewed by the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office. The information was released along with a video compiling drone and surveillance footage, a mapping of the shooting’s timeline and other details.

Among new details revealed in the update was that deputies fired their service pistols 34 times, hitting Peterson with four of the shots. The update stated the first of two volleys of shots happened when Peterson reportedly ignored commands from deputies, pulled his handgun out of his sweatshirt pocket and then ran toward containment officers — and away from the involved deputies — to the north of the U.S. Bank parking lot off of Highway 99 in Hazel Dell where the shooting took place. The second volley occurred after Peterson fell to the ground, sat up and reportedly pointed his firearm at the deputies.

Surveillance footage from the bank appeared to show Peterson running North near the drive-through of the building before dropping and pointing what investigators state was his handgun at off-camera deputies to the South.

The deputies involved in the shooting were detectives Jeremy Brown, 46, and Robert Anderson, 42, and sheriff’s deputy Jonathan Feller, 46. The deputies interviewed stated that while Peterson aimed his handgun at deputies, “multiple gunshots were going off around them,” the update stated — “They believed Peterson ... had fired or had already shot at them.”



The update stated one of the involved deputies radioed that he thought Peterson may have fired “a couple” shots in their direction. Details from the investigation released earlier contradicted this claim, noting a lack of shell casings of Peterson’s handgun’s bullet type and the number of bullets found in his loaded weapon.

The update stated deputies involved in the shooting did not have body or vehicle-based cameras. Video surveillance from the bank, a business across the street, and drone footage was included in the released video.

Peterson was shot after fleeing his vehicle parked in the Quality Inn lot to the North of the bank, running after detectives conducting a drug investigation attempted to contact him. Prior to the operation, detectives shared a social media post made by Peterson they say indicated violence toward law enforcement — another social media post in the video accompanying the update appeared to show Peterson in possession of pills detectives believed were Xanax, an anti-anxiety prescription medication.

The update stated that the case will be reviewed by the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office at the request of Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik. Pending reports including lab reports and the medical examiner’s report will be submitted to the prosecutor as supplemental reports when they are received.