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Officer cleared in fatal shooting of Lake Stevens man

Published  August 15, 2017 7:20am PDT
Associated Press

LAKE STEVENS, Wash. -- Snohomish County's top prosecutor has cleared a Lake Stevens officer in the fatal shooting of a 33-year-old former combat veteran.

Prosecuting Attorney Mark Roe wrote that Juan Salinas forced an officer to shoot him. Roe called it another tragedy and casualty of war but a lawful act.

The Daily Herald reports that Lake Stevens officers converged on Salinas' neighborhood after he called 911 Feb. 9 and said he planned to kill police.

Authorities say officers tried to subdue him with an electronic stun gun but he continued moving toward them. One officer fired one shot.

A multi-agency investigation found that Salinas was a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and suffered from post-traumatic stress and depression. It also concluded that he was intent on committing "suicide by cop."