The Washington State Office of Independent Investigations (OII) on Tuesday afternoon released its first update on an ongoing investigation after Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputies shot and killed a man in the Cinebar area on Monday, March 17.
While the name of the individual has not been released, OII did provide the first overall narrative of what transpired before the fatal gunshots.
The shooting occurred shortly before noon on Monday, with the sheriff’s office reporting it to OII by 12:30 p.m. OII investigators arrived at 2:30 p.m., with more than a dozen personnel participating, according to OII.
“According to their news release, Lewis County sheriff’s deputies were responding to a call about a man in distress in the area of Cinebar, a community along state Route 508 east of Onalaska,” OII wrote. “Deputies found the man in his vehicle and tried to communicate with him. The sheriff’s office reported the man eventually exited his vehicle, approached deputies armed with a firearm and did not follow their commands. Less lethal bean bag rounds were used before two deputies fired their patrol rifles, striking him.”
According to OII, in addition to Lewis County deputies, officers from other law enforcement agencies who were at the scene and assisted in attempted life-saving measures on the man before he was transported to an area hospital. He did not survive his injuries.
OII notified the next of kin.
“The name of the deceased will be released at a later date,” the update stated. “An OII family liaison has been assigned to work with the family of the deceased to keep them informed regarding the status of the OII investigation. OII will release the name of the deputies involved in the use of force in the coming days.”
OII has established a tip line for this investigation. Anyone who may have information can call 564-263-0715. All information provided to OII is subject to public disclosure, as required by RCW 42.56, the Public Records Act.
When OII completes its investigation, a final case report detailing findings and outlining the investigation will be posted at oii.wa.gov and made available to the public.
The Legislature created OII in 2021 to conduct independent investigations of deadly use of force by law enforcement. The 11-member OII Advisory Board reviews and provides input on agency policies.
