EVERETT — The Snohomish County Council on Monday unanimously approved a $1 million settlement with the family of an Edmonds man who was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy.
Both parties had agreed to the settlement amount last week, but the council needed to give its stamp of approval to finalize the deal.
Nickolas Peters, 24, led Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies on a brief, high-speed chase in October 2018. Deputies pinned his truck against some bushes on Damson Road, east of Lynnwood.
One deputy jumped on the hood of the vehicle and shined a flashlight through the windshield, while Deputy Art Wallin positioned himself outside the passenger door.
They shouted conflicting commands of “turn it off” and “hands up,” according to audio collected by investigators.
According to documents from investigations into the shooting, the deputies told investigators that Peters wasn’t complying with commands.
Peters’ girlfriend, Britt Jakobsen, who was in the passenger seat that night, said they were trying to follow orders.
Wallin fired twice, killing Peters.
Prosecutor Adam Cornell declined to pursue charges against the deputy after reviewing an investigation conducted by the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team.
Wallin was fired in October following an internal investigation by the sheriff’s office. In a decision letter, then-Sheriff Ty Trenary determined that Wallin broke policy both in pursuing Peters and in shooting him.
Last summer, Peters’ family filed a lawsuit, demanding $20 million in damages through a jury trial.
In reaching the settlement, the county admitted no wrongdoing and the family agreed to drop all claims against the county.
Attorney Jeff Campiche, representing the family, called the settlement an acknowledgment from the county that the shooting of Peters was wrong.
“The Peters family will forever grieve the unnecessary and unlawful death of their son and pray for police restraint from using deadly force,” Campiche wrote in a statement.
Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.
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