Everett police officer Troy Meade is expected to go on trial this week for a line-of-duty shooting last summer that left a drunken Stanwood man dead.
Meade, an 11-year police veteran, is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter in the death of Niles Meservey, 51.
Meade is accused of opening fire on Meservey during a June 10 confrontation in the parking lot of the Chuckwagon Inn. Meservey was intoxicated and belligerent and refused to get out of his vehicle, according to investigators.
Meade twice used an electric stun gun in an attempt to subdue Meservey. After Meservey drove into a chain-link fence, Meade fired his weapon eight times into the back window of Meservey’s Chevrolet Corvette. Meservey was hit by seven bullets and died at the scene.
During the trial, which is expected to last a little more than a week, Meade plans to argue that he was in fear for his life when he shot Meservey.
“He is a law enforcement professional, and it’s very hard for him to be charged with murder when he was just doing his duty. He was faced with a very dangerous situation all created by an extremely intoxicated driver,” said David Allen, the officer’s attorney.
Jury selection is expected to begin Tuesday in Snohomish County Superior Court.
Summonses were sent to 400 people in hopes of impaneling about 50 people as potential jurors, according to court officials. Jury selection is expected to take most of Tuesday with opening arguments likely to begin Wednesday.
Meade initially was charged with first-degree manslaughter. Prosecutors on March 25 added the second-degree murder charge during a hearing about what evidence jurors would be allowed to hear in the case. They allege that Meade intended to kill Meservey.
Allen asked for more time to raise arguments against charging his client with murder and manslaughter. Superior Court Judge Gerald Knight is expected to hear those arguments before testimony begins.
The murder charge wasn’t added based on any new evidence, prosecutors said. It is common for prosecutors to add or amend charges if a defendant proceeds to trial.
If convicted of the second-degree murder charge, Meade could face a standard-range sentence of up to 18 years. A manslaughter conviction would carry less than half the time.
The decision to charge Meade with a crime came after nearly five months of investigation.
A special team of homicide detectives used computers to pinpoint where Meade was standing when he fired his gun. They also interviewed dozens of witnesses, including another Everett police officer who witnessed the shooting.
That officer said Meservey wasn’t obeying orders but didn’t pose an immediate lethal threat to Meade or anyone else. That officer also told investigators he heard Meade say something like “Time to end this; enough is enough,” just before opening fire.
Allen is expected to bring in expert witnesses to dispute anticipated testimony from that officer, according to court papers. If he testifies, Meade is expected to deny that he said anything before he shot Meservey.
Meade remains on paid administrative leave from the 200-officer department. Everett officials haven’t conducted an internal investigation of the shooting, city spokeswoman Kate Reardon said Friday.
The Everett Police Officers’ Association set up a fund to raise money for Meade, according to the union’s Web site. Off-duty Everett officers have attended both hearings in which Meade appeared in court.
Officers were ordered early on not to talk to reporters about the case. Everett Police Chief Jim Scharf also has declined to comment about the charges and its impact on his department. He has referred all questions to an attorney hired by the city.
Meservey’s family filed a lawsuit against the city of Everett, questioning the training Meade received from the police department. The lawsuit follows a $15 million wrongful death claim filed by the family.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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