Crime & Safety

No Criminal Charges Filed in Deputy-Involved Shooting Death of Ravensdale Man

A spokesman for the King County Prosecutor's Office told Patch Friday that no criminal charges would be filed against the law enforcement officers involved in the shooting death of 19-year-old Eric Sampson.

There will be no criminal charges filed against any of the law enforcement officers involved in the March shooting death of 19-year-old Eric Sampson, said Dan Donohoe of the King County Prosecutor's Office Friday.

Sampson was shot to death following a confrontation with King County Sheriff's deputies in March that began with a traffic stop in Buckley the night of March 19. (Read of the incident.)

An inquest was ordered to establish the facts of the case, and the hearing did wrap up in October, but the family felt the process wasn't fair, family attorney Katherine Chamberlain told Patch last month. (Read .)

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Part of the inquest process after all testimony was given was to question the eight-member jury with yes/no questions (called 'interrogatories') to establish the facts of what happened. But the questions that were agreed upon did not paint a full picture of what happened, she said. They did not give the jury the opportunity to provide a full list of circumstances surrounding Sampson's death, including the fact that the county Medical Examiner's Office reported he was shot 24 times, with six bullet entry wounds on his back.

The jury had even submitted a handwritten note with a question for the judge after they completed their interrogatories.

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"We have answered all the interrogatories. ... Is there a mechanism to offer narrative comment about the process of the investigation or the events leading to the death of Eric Sampson?"

Chamberlain said at the time, "It clearly shows they didn't feel they were given the opportunity to comment on the circumstances fully. ... The process didn't serve its purpose."

(Read after the inquest hearing closed.)

Patch reached mother Darla Sampson Friday about the decision not to press criminal charges against Deputy Cory Stanton, Deputy Pete Sheridan and Deputy C.S. Hooper. She replied in an email:

Eric dropped the knife right away, it was 8 feet away from him with no blood or bullet dings in it, even though his hands were bloody and shot (as was his whole body with 24 shots), they continued to shoot after he dropped the knife (even shooting him in the back), that is shooting an unarmed person, that is murder.

More from the Prosecutor's Office

Donohoe provided an update on several other cases with ties to Enumclaw:

, the Enumclaw woman was shot by King County deputies following a standoff in late July, was found competent to stand trial. She was arraigned on November 3 when she pleaded not guilty. Her case setting was set for November 16 and is continued to November 23.

The case setting for , who was charged July 21 with first-degree manslaughter in the Dec. 11, 2010, death of 16-year-old , was November 16 and has been continued to January 5, 2012.

Similarly, the trial of , a local business owner and martial arts instructor who has been accused of having sexual relations with a minor, has been continued to January 10, 2012.

 

 

 

 


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