LAKE STEVENS — Officials have released the name of a man who was shot and killed by police near Lake Stevens on May 7.
Nathan Q. Cates was 29, of Marysville, according to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. He died from gunshot wounds. His death was ruled a homicide. That is a medical determination that means he died as a result of someone else’s actions. It is not a legal ruling on the circumstances of his death.
Cates was shot after an eight-hour standoff during which he reportedly brandished a firearm.
He was described as suicidal and despondent in initial reports from law enforcement. In Cates’ obituary in The Daily Herald, his family asked for donations in his memory be made to nonprofits focused on suicide prevention and help for the mentally ill and their families.
Cates graduated from Marysville Pilchuck in 2005, according to school district records. He had no known criminal history.
The investigation into the May 7 shooting is ongoing, said Edmonds police Sgt. Josh McClure, a spokesman for the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team, also known as SMART.
The team of detectives from throughout the county is tasked with investigating officer-involved shootings. Those cases often take several months to complete. Once the investigations are completed, Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Roe makes a determination on whether the use of force was legally justified.
Two members of a SWAT team opened fire that day: an Everett police officer and a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy. Both were placed on administrative leave afterward, which is standard procedure after a death. Both the officer and the deputy have since returned to duty, officials said this week.
Cates’ death was the second police shooting in the county this year. An April 12 shooting in downtown Lake Stevens also remains under investigation.
The 22-year-old man who was shot in that case survived despite being critically wounded. He has since been released from the hospital to another care facility, officials said Wednesday.
Additional information on that investigation, including the man’s name, has not been made public. The Lake Stevens police sergeant who reportedly shot the man also was placed on leave and has returned to work, according to that department.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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