In brief: Felon’s shooting death declared justified

A Washington State Patrol trooper has been cleared in the shooting death of a 54-year-old motorist late last year.

Trooper Kyle Witt shot and killed Andre C. Laurent, a convicted felon, who pointed an assault rifle at the officer during a traffic stop on Highway 2.

Laurent, of Hope, Idaho, was hit by three of five bullets fired by Witt, Pend Oreille County Prosecutor Thomas Metzger said in a press release Friday.

On Nov. 14, Witt spotted a Cadillac being driven erratically, but the driver initially refused to pull over, officials said. When Laurent and Witt approached Kirkpatrick Road, about a mile north of the Spokane County line, the Cadillac stopped. The driver got out and pointed a rifle at Witt.

The trooper aimed his patrol car at Laurent, knocking him down, Metzger said.

Then the trooper got out and approached Laurent, who again pointed the rifle at Witt. The officer drew his .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol and was justified in using it, Metzger said.

– Jody Lawrence-Turner

Spokane

Officers cleared of racism charges

A U.S. District Court jury in Spokane has cleared three Pullman police officers accused of racism.

The allegations of civil rights violations stemmed from a call to break up a fight at Pullman’s Top of China restaurant in September 2002.

Officers Dan Hargraves, Don Heroff and Rueben Harris were accused of using excessive force, acting with deliberate indifference to injured persons and being motivated by racial bias. The officers’ pepper spray drifted to an upstairs night club, the Attic, where hundreds of people, mostly black students from Washington State University, were dancing. Three people were treated for eye and skin irritation.

In all, 136 plaintiffs joined the class-action lawsuit seeking $22 million.

Thursday’s jury decision “is a vindication of the Pullman Police Department,” City Attorney Laura McAloon said Friday.

Darrell Cochran, a Tacoma lawyer who represented the plaintiffs, was unavailable for comment.

– Associated Press

Pet oxygen masks now on fire truck

Oxygen masks for pets are being carried on one of Spokane’s fire trucks, officials announced Friday.

“We have known for some time that during our customers’ worse day, a family pet’s welfare is sometimes just as important as their own,” said Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer. In the past, crews were forced to wait for animal specialists or try to use other ways to help resuscitate injured animals.

But the donation of a set of pet oxygen masks by the local Veterinarian Association means pets can get immediate help. The masks, which come in a variety of sizes, are on a fire truck located at Station No. 1 near downtown. Firefighters Darci Fraser and Lori Bryant were key in obtaining the donation, Schaeffer said.

– Jody Lawrence-Turner