Man fatally shot by police had pointed shotgun at officers

EVERETT — The man killed by police Saturday morning had opened the front door of his house and leveled a shotgun at officers who were responding to a burglary call, detectives said today.

The incident began about 1:44 a.m. when neighbors reported seeing a man break the front window and kicking in the front door of a nearby house, police said.

When officers arrived, they approached the house and knocked on the front door, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.

One officer — who was not involved shooting — said the front door opened and a man held a shotgun at a slight upwards angle. The officer "then saw the man level the shotgun," said Rebecca Hover, sheriff's spokeswoman. Another officer said the man pointed the weapon in the direction of one of the officers.

They ordered the man to drop the weapon, but he refused, Hover said. Officers fired at the man and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives recovered a shotgun near his body during the on-scene investigation Saturday.

They also found a blood smear on the back door of the house, which they are investigating, Hover said.

The owner of the Everett house where the 31-year-old man was shot and killed said the victim was a co-owner of the house and lived there.

Bear Whalen told The Everett Herald, "It's devastating. He didn't deserve to die."

Whalen described the slain man as a good person who cared about his community and was a volunteer. Whalen told the newspaper, "He never even got a ticket. He respected the law."

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office has not released the victim's name.

The officers involved in the shooting, two men and a woman, have been placed on paid administrative leave, while a team of detectives from throughout the county investigates.

Detectives are not commenting further on the evidence gathered at the scene because "it is in the process of being analyzed," Hover said. Results could take weeks, possibly months to complete, she added.

The three officers involved in the shooting have not yet been interviewed.

Seattle Times staff reporter Sonia Krishnan contributed to this report.