Inquest into Ravensdale Man's Shooting Begins Next Week

The inquest into the March shooting death of Eric Sampson by King County Sheriff's deputies is scheduled to begin next Monday, Oct. 10.

Sampson, 19, of Ravensdale, was on March 19 in a confrontation involving a machete and three deputies on a rural road in the 28500 block of Retreat-Kanaskat Road.

The deputies involved in the shooting are all back at work after spending some time on administrative leave, according to King County Sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart.

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg recommended the inquest in May after his office reviewed investigative materials from the Sheriff’s Office.

Inquests are fact-finding hearings conducted before a six-member jury. They are routinely called to determine the causes and circumstances of any death involving a member of any law enforcement agency within King County while in the performance of his or her duties.

Inquests provide transparency into law enforcement actions so the public may have all the facts established in a court of law. The ordering of an inquest should carry no other implication, according to the Prosecutor's Office. Inquest jurors answer a series of interrogatories to determine the significant factual issues involved in the case, and it is not their purpose to determine whether any person or agency is civilly or criminally liable.

Sampson's inquest begins at 9 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 10 at the King County Courthouse in Seattle, said Dan Donohoe of the King County Prosecutor's Office.

Read the Executive Order on Conducting Inquests in King County.

Read Patch's , the mother of Eric Sampson, shortly after the shooting incident.