Bullet weight a crucial clue in Walmart-shooting probe

SOUTH KITSAP — The fugitive and a deputy who exchanged gunfire at the Walmart in January used the same model of gun and the same type of bullets, according to the Washington State Patrol's investigation.

Seeing two of her fellow officers wounded by the Utah man, Kitsap County Sheriff's deputy Krista McDonald engaged the suspect, Anthony A. Martinez, hitting him in the knee with a hollow-point bullet fired from her .40-caliber Glock, bringing him to the ground from 60 feet away.

Martinez and 13-year-old Astrid Valdivia, with whom he'd been traveling, both died. He was found with a .40-caliber Glock weapon with spent hollow-point rounds nearby.

That complicated the investigation, said Washington State Patrol spokesman Bob Calkins, whose agency investigated the Jan. 23 incident.

In many cases, investigators studying the bullets involved can determine the caliber and make a reliable hypothesis about the gun it was fired from. They couldn't do that in this case, he said.

So they weighed the bullets and found that not only was one series of bullets a different weight, they were a different brand, Calkins said.

The bullets matching the weight and brand from Martinez's gun were the ones found in the chest of the girl and in Martinez's own chest. And those bullets caused the fatal wounds in both cases, Calkins said.

Two other crucial clues helped them make their determination.

The chest wounds to Valdivia and Martinez showed gunpowder residue, indicating a close-range shot.

Valdivia's wounds also indicated the bullets came from below her, which was where Martinez was positioned, he said.

Kitsap County Prosecutor Russ Hauge disclosed details of the shooting Thursday, saying he'd just gotten the case file from the State Patrol on Tuesday.

He said that while he hadn't completely reviewed the report, the evidence was "clear" — Martinez had shot the girl and then turned the gun on himself.

Martinez fired 12 rounds in all, Calkins said. He declined to disclose how many rounds McDonald fired, saying he did not want to interfere with Hauge's analysis.

As county prosecutor, Hauge's role is to review and determine whether McDonald lawfully and justifiably fired her duty weapon.

Calkins said the investigation was aided by footage captured by surveillance cameras at Walmart, which, although grainy, displays the chaos that ensued.

It began when a Port Orchard resident called 911 to report the 30-year-old acting a bit too intimate with the teenage girl he was traveling with, Calkins said.

The resident told dispatchers Martinez and the girl were heading to Walmart. Calkins said investigators believe they arrived there at about 3 p.m.

Deputies were also notified that Martinez might be armed. Edje and Stacy approached a smoking hut outside the store, where they found Martinez.

They asked for his ID, and deputies suspected he gave a fake name.

At that point, one of the deputies put his hand on Martinez and told him to "come with us," Calkins said.

It was then — about 3:40 p.m. — that Martinez made a run for it while removing the concealed gun from inside his clothing, Calkins said.

Before the deputies could react, he shot Edje in the right arm and left shoulder; followed by a shot to Stacy's right shoulder.

As he ran, Valdivia went along with him. McDonald, who was positioned in the parking lot as planned, engaged Martinez in a firefight, with one of her bullets sending him to the ground.

At that point, the State Patrol's investigation found Martinez shot Valdivia twice in the chest before turning the gun on himself, Calkins said.