The Washington state Office of Independent Investigations provided an update Thursday on its ongoing investigation into a deadly police shooting that occurred in Centralia on Jan. 12.
The fatal shooting occurred in an apartment in the 400 block of North Ash Street at approximately 10:56 a.m. on Jan. 12.
Centralia Police Officer Ruben Ramirez, who has since retired, contacted Alecandro A. Castaneda, 23, in response to a 911 call regarding a domestic dispute.
“The first arriving officer made contact with a male subject,” the Centralia Police Department stated Jan. 12 in the news release. “During the contact, the male subject and the officer got into a physical fight. The officer discharged their firearm, striking the male subject. The male subject received emergency medical treatment at the scene, where he was pronounced deceased. The officer was injured in the fight. No bystanders were injured.”
Ramirez was injured in a physical fight with Castaneda that preceded the shooting, according to police. Ramirez was treated for his injuries and released the day of the incident.
The Lewis County Coroner’s Office reported that Castaneda suffered two gunshot wounds, one to his chest and the other to his thigh, according to the Office of Independent Investigations.
In compliance with state law, the Centralia Police Department notified the Office of Independent Investigations (OII), which was 60 days into its investigation as of Thursday.
“OII is directed to complete its investigations within 120 days or report the reason for the delay to the OII Advisory Board,” the Office of Independent Investigations said Thursday in a news release.
The investigation was still “active and ongoing” as of Thursday, according to the news release.
So far, investigators have taken custody of Ramirez’s firearm, a .45 caliber Sig Sauer semi-automatic handgun, and have submitted it for testing.
Investigators have also “conducted several interviews and are in the process of obtaining and reviewing body-worn camera videos and in-car videos from four law enforcement agencies that responded to the scene,” the Office of Independent Investigations stated, identifying those responding agencies as the Centralia Police Department, the Chehalis Police Department, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol.
Additionally, an Office of Independent Investigations family liaison has been assigned to keep Castaneda’s family updated on the progress of the investigation, according to the news release.
“The family liaison role serves as a point of contact with impacted family members throughout the OII investigation and can connect family members to any needed and available community resources,” the Office of Independent Investigations stated in a news release.
Once the investigation is completed, the Office of Independent Investigations will post a final case report on its website, https://oii.wa.gov/, and the report will be forwarded to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
“No further updates are anticipated until the final report is completed,” the Office of Indepedent Investigations stated Thursday.
The Washington state Legislature created the Office of Independent Investigations in 2021 to conduct independent and unbiased investigations of deadly use of force by law enforcement. It works with an 11-member advisory board that reviews and provides input on agency policies.
This investigation is the Office of Independent Investigations’ second case in this region of Washington state, agency Director of Communications and Community Relations Hector Castro previously told The Chronicle.
The first incident occurred in Vancouver in December 2024 and was still under investigation as of Thursday.
Centralia Police Department personnel will not be involved in the independent investigation, the department previously stated in a news release.
Ramirez retired alongside his K9 partner, Pax, at the end of January, according to previous Chronicle reporting. The Centralia Police Department has confirmed that Ramirez was placed on leave per department policy following the incident.
