Deputy shooting at Spokane Valley business park justified, county prosecutor’s office rules
The Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday that two deputies were justified in shooting and killing a suspect in a Spokane Valley business park in August.
Deputies Skye Ortiz and Josiah Loos were justified in using lethal force against the suspect, Colin C. Osborn, to prevent him from evading arrest and escaping deputies, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The person who called 911 was the boyfriend of Osborn’s ex-girlfriend. When deputies arrived, Osborn fired several shots and swung his weapon toward a deputy, according to the prosecutor’s statement.
Osborn ignored commands to drop his weapon and attempted to drive away from the scene in his truck. That’s when Loos and Ortiz fired at Osborn.
Investigators discovered that Osborn was armed with a 9 mm pistol and had a blood alcohol level of 0.25.
Ortiz was hired by the sheriff’s office in July 2016 and is a member of the SWAT team. He is an Army veteran who was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his actions while deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Loos was hired by the sheriff’s office in February and was in the second phase of field training at the time of the shooting. Loos has since graduated from field training and has almost completed his probationary period.
Both deputies were put on administrative leave, standard practice when deputies use lethal force. They are both back to work, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Cpl. Mark Gregory.