Man dies after stun-gun altercation with Everett police

EVERETT — A Lake Stevens man has died after an Everett Police sergeant shot him Thursday with a stun gun on a busy downtown street during rush hour.

Colin A.C. Wehmeyer, 39, allegedly got into an altercation with police around 5 p.m. Thursday in the 3200 block of Broadway, near 33rd Street.

The sergeant delivered two charges from a stun gun. Wehmeyer began running north on Broadway, then collapsed. He was taken to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, where he died overnight, according to Shari Ireton, a spokesperson for the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team (SMART).

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner is still investigating the cause of death.

The Everett Police sergeant who deployed his stun gun during the altercation is on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in use-of-force investigations, Ireton said in a news release Friday. The sergeant has been in law enforcement for 29 years. The job status of four other officers involved in the incident has not been decided and depends on the outcome of the investigation, the news release said.

Lake Stevens police were investigating Wehmeyer for unlawful possession of firearms. On Thursday, officers served a search warrant at his Lake Stevens house while a detective observed him attending an appointment in Everett, according to a SMART news release. Knowing Wehmeyer could be armed, the detective called Everett police for backup.

“The suspect eventually left his appointment and started walking northbound on Broadway,” the news release said. “He was contacted by officers with Everett PD and an altercation ensued.”

Once Wehmeyer collapsed, “Everett PD immediately requested aid units and began to administer life-saving measures.”

Police said they found two guns in Wehmeyer’s possession.

SMART is a countywide task force of detectives that investigates cases in which police use potentially fatal force. The results of SMART investigations are forwarded to the Snohomish County prosecutor, who determines whether the use of force is lawful and if charges should be filed.

This is the third case that SMART has been involved in this year. Last weekend, sheriff’s deputies shot and killed 44-year-old Ryan Hemmingson at an apartment south of Everett. And in May, Everett police reportedly exchanged gunfire with Jeff Phebus shortly after he allegedly shot and killed his wife. Phebus, 57, was hit with a less-than-lethal round and survived his injuries. SMART investigated seven cases last year.