LAKE STEVENS — A 22-year-old man who was shot by police in Lake Stevens last week remains in critical condition.
As of Tuesday, the man has not been charged with a crime, said Everett police officer Aaron Snell, a spokesman for the countywide team that investigates officer-involved shootings.
The man suffered multiple gunshot wounds in an April 12 confrontation with a Lake Stevens police sergeant.
The man reportedly refused to drop a rifle he had been firing downtown before police arrived. The gunfire prompted 911 calls and the response from law enforcement.
The man Tuesday remained at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. Snell would not say whether the man is in police custody at the hospital.
The names of the man and the sergeant involved have not been made public. The sergeant, who has 10 years on the force, was placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure after police shootings.
The sergeant is believed to have fired four times, Snell said. That happened just before 11 p.m., about 45 minutes after the confrontation started in the area of Main Street and 18th Street NE.
Police on Tuesday opted to withhold from public disclosure the 911 calls. That is a decision they are allowed by state law during an ongoing investigation.
However, they did release a 6-minute video taken at the scene by a bystander. The bystander’s phone was seized as potential evidence, Snell said.
The low-quality cellphone video does not make clear what happened. Indistinguishable yelling and barking dogs can be heard before the sound of four gunshots. Then an ambulance arrived.
Detectives have been assigned to the case from the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team, or SMART, the group that investigates when local police use potentially fatal force.
SMART cases often take several months to complete, at which point they are forwarded to Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Roe. Roe then makes a determination on whether the use of force was justified.
Roe’s decision takes place separately from any potential criminal prosecution of suspects. People accused of pointing firearms at police can face felony assault charges.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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