I say good work.
Again, my heart goes out to the family and friends of the fallen officers.
Officer involved shooting in South Seattle
spdblotter.seattle.gov
At approximately 2:43 a.m. today, a uniformed patrol officer came upon a suspicious vehicle in the 4400 block of South Kenyon Street. The vehicle, an Acura Integra, was unoccupied. The engine was running and the hood was up. The officer stopped to investigate further and discovered that the Acura was a stolen vehicle.
The officer began doing the stolen vehicle recovery paperwork when something caught his attention. The officer turned around and noticed a subject walking in the street behind his patrol car, approaching on the driver’s side. The officer got out of his car and ordered the subject to stop and show his hands. The officer immediately recognized the subject as Maurice Clemmons, the suspect wanted in the murder of four Lakewood police officers. The suspect refused to comply with the officer’s commands.
As the officer was drawing his gun the suspect reached into his waist area and moved. The officer fired several times striking the suspect at least twice. The suspect went down near some bushes on the north side of the street. Shortly thereafter he was taken into custody. Seattle Fire Department medics responded and pronounced the suspect dead at the scene.
The officer involved was not injured. He was hired by Seattle Police in March of 2005. He has prior law enforcement experience and is also a military veteran. The officer will be placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting. A Firearms Review Board will be convened in the coming weeks to determine whether or not the shooting was within Department policy.
The suspect was armed with a handgun, located in a front sweatshirt pocket. This handgun has been verified by serial number as belonging to one of the murdered Lakewood police officers.
Seattle Police Homicide and CSI detectives responded to the scene. Seattle Police Homicide detectives will conduct the officer-involved shooting aspect of the investigation.
The Medical Examiner responded to the scene and collected the deceased suspect. The Medical Examiner has yet to identify him. Detectives on scene believe that this person is Lakewood murder suspect Maurice Clemmons.
The Acura Integra had been reported stolen at 1:50 a.m. from the 4800 block of South Chicago Street. It will be impounded and processed for evidence.
The Seattle Police Department continues to offer any and all assistance requested to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and the Lakewood Police Department.
This is an active and ongoing investigation. This information is preliminary and subject to change.
