The 51-year-old convicted felon who was shot by a Chehalis man after he allegedly entered the man’s house last month while high on meth pleaded not guilty to burglary and trespassing charges Thursday afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.
The Chehalis man, Brian L. Creed Sr., is accused of entering a residence on the 400 block of Highway 603 west of Chehalis shortly before 5 a.m. on Feb. 10 through an unlocked door. The house was occupied by a 24-year-old man and his wife. Neither knew Creed.
When the man confronted Creed at gunpoint, Creed allegedly charged at him and was shot. The gunshot wound did not stop Creed, who allegedly tackled the man. The two men fought until the 24-year-old was able to disengage from the struggle and hold Creed at gunpoint until law enforcement arrived.
Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer said the man who shot Creed, identified in court documents as 24-year-old Joshua Norman, will not face charges as the shooting was ruled a justified use of deadly force.
In a letter sent to Norman and his wife Wednesday that was provided to The Chronicle by the prosecutor's office, Meyer wrote, “My review indicates that you had no choice but to protect yourself and your wife from immediate and direct threat to your safety.”
Norman’s actions prior to the shooting showed “good decision making,” according to the letter.
“The (911) call also clarifies is that your first reaction was not to arm yourself,” Meyer wrote. “Rather, you and your wife remained in the bedroom, on the telephone with 911. It was only after assessing the threat did you make the decision to load your weapon and arm yourself.”
The letter said the resident gave Creed instructions to stop; however, “the intruder chose, for whatever reason, to charge you and assault you by hitting, tackling and spitting on you.”
In the 10 days following the shooting, Creed was in the Intensive Care Unit at Harborview Medical Center recovering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen until last week when he was released from the hospital and booked into the Lewis County Jail.
Creed is charged with first-degree burglary and second-degree criminal trespass. The maximum sentence for first-degree burglary is life in prison. He remains in custody held on $50,000 bail.
