Snohomish County deputy fatally shoots man after domestic-violence call

A Snohomish County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a man early Thursday while responding to a domestic-violence call in a Bothell-area apartment complex.

The confrontation happened at 1:17 a.m. in a parking lot at the Archstone Northcreek, an expansive apartment complex at 20225 Bothell-Everett Highway, where a father, his pregnant daughter and her boyfriend shared a unit.

The boyfriend was shot after he apparently stabbed his girlfriend's father in the face with a screwdriver, said Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz, spokesman for an interagency team investigating the shooting.

After the shooting, one screwdriver was found on the man and another was near the apartment, Goetz said.

While police have not talked to the deputy, witnesses said they heard him ordering the boyfriend to drop the screwdriver before the shooting, Goetz said.

Backup officers on their way to the Archstone didn't arrive until after the deputy had fired shots, according to Goetz. The man died at the scene.

The deputy has worked for two years with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office and is in his 30s, said Goetz. He was placed on administrative leave.

An ambulance took the father and daughter to a hospital. The daughter was not assaulted and went only as a precaution. Her father was treated for injuries and released.

A witness to the domestic-violence dispute believed his life was being threatened during the ordeal. The witness also saw the shooting.

The identity of the dead man will be released later by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office. It was the sixth fatal shooting by a Snohomish County law-enforcement officer in 2009.

• On May 29, Daniel Wasilchen was shot by a sheriff's deputy in Granite Falls. Deputies were called to Wasilchen's home after he got into an argument with a state noxious-weed expert inspecting his property.

• On June 10, Niles Meservey, 51, was fatally shot while sitting in his car outside the Chuckwagon Inn in Everett. In October, Everett police Officer Troy Meade, 41, was charged with first-degree manslaughter. Investigators say he recklessly caused Meservey's death. In September, Meservey's daughter filed a civil claim, seeking $5 million to $15 million in damages, against the city and the Police Department.

• On July 2, Dwight Monnie, 64, was fatally shot by sheriff's deputies responding to a domestic-violence call near Arlington.

• On Aug. 6, Shawn Larson, 39, was fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy at the truck scales on Highway 9 in Lake Stevens. Police said Larson was shot after fighting with the deputy.

• On Nov. 1, John LaBossiere, 26, was fatally shot by a Lake Stevens police officer during a domestic-violence call near Lake Stevens. Police said LaBossiere was shot after reportedly forcing his way into a home where his wife and three children were staying with friends.

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com

Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report