5 Richland officers back at work. They did all they could, Richland police chief says
The five Richland officers involved in arresting Jose Mercado are back at work after a week of paid administrative leave.
The officers haven’t been on shift since Mercado, 48, of Texas, died during a struggle outside of a Wilson Street home.
Interim Police Chief Jeff Taylor announced the men were back on duty Friday, after he consulted with the Tri-City Special Investigations Unit and members of the department’s command staff.
“Based on all the information collected to date, it is clear to me the officers did everything they could to deescalate a hostile suspect who had assaulted family members and who was intent on assaulting the officers,” Taylor said in a post on the department’s Facebook page.
The officers involved range from 20-year Richland veteran Sgt. Allen Jenkins to relative newcomer Officer Todd Gilbert, who joined the department two years ago. The others are officers Brandon Koe, Ron Schneider, and Jason Lawrence.
On Jan. 20, one of the officers responded to a call that Mercado had attacked a family member and was throwing beer bottles and he had a knife, according to Richland police reports.
A witness said she saw Mercado arguing with a relative in the street when the officer arrived and, when Mercado aggressively approached the officer, he shocked him with a Taser.
Police and witnesses have said Mercado removed the probes and continued being uncooperative. A neighbor told the Herald that she saw him shocked with a Taser a second time after other officers arrived.
‘Not a result of the officer’s actions’
Sometime during the confrontation, he became unresponsive. Officers tried to revive him but he later died at the hospital.
“This incident was not a result of the officer’s actions,” Taylor said. “They used their training, great restraint and professionalism in an attempt to deescalate a chaotic event.”
The special investigations unit is continuing to investigate what happened.
The Benton County Coroner’s Office has received the results of the blood tests and expect to be have a determination on why he died by next week.
This story was originally published February 1, 2019 at 3:03 PM.