BOTHELL — A man shot to death by a Bothell police officer was 25 and had a history of mental health struggles.
Witnesses reported a man slashing tires around 7:30 p.m. July 29, near the intersection of 228th Street SE and 20th Avenue SE.
Once an officer arrived, the man “advanced” toward him while holding a knife, according to the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team. The officer opened fire.
The slain man was identified Tuesday as Juan Rene Hummel Jr., of the Bothell area. An autopsy confirmed he died of gunshot wounds, according to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office.
A knife was recovered from the scene.
The officer who fired was placed on administrative leave, standard practice in police shootings. The incident happened less than two weeks after Bothell officer Jonathan Shoop, 32, died in a brief shootout with a suspect. Shoop was killed by friendly fire.
Investigators hope to speak with anyone who knows anything about Hummel, or what led up to the deadly encounter. Tips can be directed to 425-262-2800 or SMARTtipline@Snoco.org.
Hummel had a few past brushes with the law, for relatively minor things, such as failing to wear a seatbelt.
Bothell police arrested him for an alleged misdemeanor assault in 2016, a case that would later be dismissed. Behind bars, a few days after the arrest, he was accused of a sneak-attack on a King County corrections officer. He waited for the officer to walk around a corner, then pounced and punched him in the face, according to charging papers. The officer’s injuries were treated at a hospital.
Felony charges were dropped in 2017, because Hummel’s case was transferred to Mental Health Court, a therapeutic court for defendants with documented mental health issues.
He completed the King County program in early 2019.
In court papers, Hummel listed a home address about a quarter-mile south of the scene of last week’s deadly shooting.
Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
