Man killed by Kennewick police was suspect in Richland home invasion, say detectives
A West Richland man shot by Kennewick police in February was a suspect in a Richland home invasion robbery a month before, police said.
The Washington State Patrol confirmed this week that Gordon L. Whitaker helped Stevie L. Trott force her way into an apartment on Jan. 15, the Richland Police Department said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
“We have informed the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office of the new information and will be sending the final reports in this case to their office in the coming week,” Richland police wrote.
The pair allegedly used zip ties and duct tape to bind and gag the victim while they stole more than $1,700 in her casino winnings, said police.
Whitaker was not identified by name in the original reports. The victim told police she only knew him by the nickname “G-money.”
He was allegedly identified by the victim seven days after the crime. Richland detectives were looking for him but he had not been charged in the case.
Then, on Feb. 9, Kennewick officers contacted Whitaker and another man near North Fruitland Street and Columbia Park Trail.
One of the men allegedly started running after officers asked for their names.
When officers were detaining Whitaker, he allegedly pulled out a gun and at least one officer shot him, Kennewick police Lt. Aaron Clem said in a news release at the time.
Few other details about the shooting have been released pending an independent investigation by the Special Investigations Unit by officers from different police agencies.
Whitaker’s death has been the focus of a change.org petition calling for the firing of the three Kennewick officers involved in the shooting. The online petition has gathered more than 7,500 signatures in a week.
There have been renewed concerns about his death in the wake of recent Black Lives Matter protests. The case is one of two involving Black men shot and killed by Tri-Cities officers in recent months that is still under investigation.
One of his adult daughter’s described the father of six as “a bright spirit” and a joke teller.
Casino winnings
On Jan. 13, the Richland woman who was robbed and Trott’s roommate went to Legends Casino about 9 p.m., according to court records.
The roommate handed the woman $80 and she won more than $1,700. The man got angry and took her back to her Richland home at 12:30 a.m.
She went to bed with her 7-year-old son, who had been home with a babysitter.
Trott and Whitaker allegedly showed up at the apartment around 5:30 a.m. and knocked on her bedroom window. Since only her friends knew to knock on the window, she got up to open the door.
Trott pushed her way into the apartment, and Whitaker allegedly followed holding a pistol, according to court records. They pushed her into a chair, and Trott punched the woman and grabbed her throat, demanding the money.
Then, they tied her up with zip ties. The woman said Whitaker then put the gun to her head and demanded the money. She told them it was in her jacket pocket and gave it to them.
During the attack, her son was trying to call family members. He was not hurt.
Before leaving, the pair took the battery out of the victim’s cellphone and grabbed her wi-fi enabled phone so she couldn’t call police.
Once they left, the victim fled to a friend’s home with her son. When her friend contacted the man who went with the victim to the casino, he allegedly promised to get $900 back for her.
Trott, 25, has pleaded innocent in Benton County Superior Court to first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary. Both felony charges include the aggravating allegation of deliberate cruelty.
She remains jailed in lieu of $150,000.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 12:58 PM.