NORTH BEND, Wash. — An independent team is investigating after a Snoqualmie/North Bend officer shot and killed a man in Torguson Park Tuesday night.
The officer was doing a routine check of the park around 11 p.m. when he confronted a man believed to be living in his vehicle, according to Major Debbie Christopherson of the Bellevue Police Department. The man, 33, was outside his vehicle at the time.
According to preliminary information, the officer asked the man to leave the park. There was "loud yelling" and a struggle ensued, according to police.
The officer, according to Christopherson, was knocked down. The man allegedly reached for the officer's gun. The officer shot the man once.
The man died at the park.
The officer had a "slight" injury to his arm, according to Christopherson. His uniform was dirty from the struggle.
The man was alone at the time, according to Christopherson.
In the hours after the shooting, detectives were unclear whether the man was part of a larger group. A spokesperson with the King County Independent Force Investigation Team, which is involved due to the nature of the incident, said that detectives received three conflicting stories surrounding the incident.
The officer was not wearing a body cam, according to Christopherson. The only body cam footage connected to the case will be from responding officers.
King County FIT investigates the use of deadly force for 13 police agencies, including Snoqualmie and North Bend in King County.