HERMISTON -- A Umatilla County grand jury has ruled that Hermiston police officers were justified in fatally shooting a bank robbery suspect they had followed into a liquor store.

County District Attorney Dan Primus has said that 55-year-old Gregory Shafer of the Hermiston area pointed what appeared to be a pistol at two officers on New Year's Eve.

Shafer reportedly had a realistic looking BB gun. Still, the grand jury found that deadly force was justified.

KNDU reported that officers tried to use a less lethal weapon to disarm Shafer, but it didn't work. Three shots reportedly hit Shafer.