Murder charges filed against man accused of running down Washington state trooper

CHEHALIS, Wash. -- Prosecutors on Friday filed murder charges against a man accused of hitting and killing a state trooper while fleeing law enforcement.

On March 24, Trooper Justin Schaffer was attempting to deploy spike strips to bring the pursuit to a stop when the fleeing vehicle hit him on Interstate 5 in Chehalis, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Schaffer was taken to a Centralia hospital where he died.

The suspect, William David Thompson, was arrested further down I-5.

Prosecutors charged Thompson with 1st-degree aggravated murder, second-degree attempted murder, 1st-degree robbery, 1st-degree assault, 2nd-degree assault, attempt to elude police, driving with a suspended license, driving while license revoked and driving without an interlock.

Schaffer, 28, joined the State Patrol in late 2013. Information on a memorial service will be released at a later time.

A fund for the family has been set up at Chase Bank.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.