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Three Pierce County sheriff's deputies opened fire on a driver during a “high-risk stop" early Monday, leaving him dead, according to investigators.
Deputies responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle in the 8500 block of 156th Street Court East around 2 a.m. in an unincorporated part of Pierce County in South Hill.
A resident reported a man in the vehicle had fired a shot outside the home, according to the sheriff’s office.
"The vehicle matched the description of a suspect vehicle from a prior incident in which deputies had established probable cause to arrest the driver," read a press release from the Pierce County Force Investigation Team.
Deputies arrived to find a man sleeping inside the car.
Deputies spoke with the resident first and established probable cause to arrest the sleeping man for investigation of felony harassment, then tried to speak with him, the sheriff's office reported in a blotter post.
The deputies positioned their vehicles behind the man's and contacted him from a distance, giving commands, said Tacoma police Sgt. John Correa, spokesperson for the force investigation team.
Deputies then reported "shots fired around 2:45 a.m., sheriff's office's spokesperson Carly Cappetto said.
Correa confirmed deputies fired shots, but noted the cause and manner of death will be determined by the Pierce County medical examiner's office. The deputies tried to save the man’s life, but he was already dead. No deputies were injured. It remained unclear if the man was carrying a weapon or if he fired any shots.
Three deputies were placed on leave, Correa said. Their identities were expected to be released later in the investigation.
The Pierce County Force Investigation Team was investigating the incident, as it does anytime an officer uses lethal force.
Seattle Times reporter Caitlyn Freeman contributed to this story.
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