Police swarm felon with knife outside Tri-Cities store. He was demanding to buy a gun
An agitated Richland man forced an hour-long standoff at Kennewick’s Ranch & Home on Wednesday when he tried to demand a gun at knifepoint.
And it wasn’t the first time Kerry E.L. Brooks, 28, tried to take a gun.
He spent two years in prison for an attempt at Grigg’s Department Store.
In recent weeks, Brooks has been going to local stores trying to buy a gun, but his extensive criminal history means he is not legally allowed to have one, said Kennewick police Lt. Aaron Clem.
Brooks showed up Wednesday at the Ranch & Home near Columbia Center mall shortly before the store opened. When employees opened the doors at 8 a.m., he rushed in, pulled out a knife and demanded to buy a gun, according to police.
Employees were able to get him back outside and locked down the store.
When police talked to him outside of store, Brooks took out a large survival knife from his waistband and threatened officers, according to a Kennewick police release.
For much of the standoff Wednesday, Brooks was in front of the store sitting on the ground holding the long-bladed knife while police talked with him.
There are reports that he was smoking something from a glass pipe and even started eating as he sat there.
After about an hour, officers shot him with a non-lethal round to knock the knife from his hand, then set off a noise device to further distract him so several officers and a police dog could rush in to take him into custody.
Clem said it was clear Brooks was not going to drop the knife and comply with officers, and continued to approach them. He thought the officers did a good job of de-escalating the situation until they could use a less-lethal maneuver and prevent him from being seriously injured.
Medical crews checked Brooks at the scene, then took him to Trios Southridge Hospital in Kennewick for further evaluation. After that, he was booked into the county jail for attempted unlawful gun possession, unlawful display of a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and several outstanding warrants.
Kennewick officers were joined in the standoff by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies.
The parking lot and stores at the shopping center reopened soon after.
Firearm ban
Brooks started getting into trouble as a juvenile in 2008. His more recent run-ins with the law started in 2017 and include convictions for burglary, drug possession and unlawful gun possession.
His two-year prison sentence was for stealing a firearm in 2018.
Brooks walked into Grigg’s Department Store in Pasco on Nov. 13, approached the gun counter and asked to see a rifle.
When the clerks handed it to him, he said, “I’ll take it.”
The employees grabbed the forms for a background check, but Brooks refused to fill them out and walked away, court documents show.
On his way to the door, he grabbed two boxes of ammunition as well. Employees surrounded him and called police before he could leave.
An officer was able to take the gun away from him. Brooks admitted he did not plan to pay for the rifle, and said he knew he was banned from possession guns because of his criminal record, documents said.
This story was originally published May 26, 2021 at 9:01 AM.