Pasco police officer out of the hospital after being shot Friday morning
A Pasco police officer is home after being shot early Friday morning.
The officer was taken home from Kadlec Regional Medical Center Friday afternoon about 1 p.m.
The condition of the suspect who shot him hasn’t been released. He was wounded by a Benton County sheriff’s deputy following a chase.
About 5:50 a.m. on Friday, Pasco officers were dispatched to reports of a reckless driver.
An officer found the male driver at a Circle K gas station at Road 32 and Court Street in a 2009 BMW, according to the Pasco Police Department.
As the Pasco officer tried to contact the man, he was shot as he approached the car, Pasco Sgt. Tom Groom said in a Friday morning press conference.
The officer broadcast that shots had been fired, and 911 dispatch began receiving calls that the officer had been shot and the suspect had fled.
The Pasco officer’s injuries were not life threatening.
Regional law enforcement officers were alerted and the suspect was spotted on Riverhaven Street about six minutes later, according to dispatch reports.
A pursuit was started after the suspect refused to stop, said police.
Officers chased him for the next five minutes as he reached speeds of about 60 mph, according to dispatch reports.
Benton County deputies were working on setting up spike strips as the suspect was driving north on Road 64. They planned to set up at Argent Road.
When the chase reached the intersection, an officer reported that shots had been fired.
A Benton County sheriff’s deputy shot the suspect during the chase but it’s unclear if the suspect was also shooting.
Police didn’t believe there were any other suspects involved. The Regional Special Investigations Unit took over the investigation as required by state law in officer-involved shootings.
The Pasco Police Department said they appreciated the response from local law enforcement and fire departments.
This was the second officer shot in Pasco in less than a year. Officer Jeremy Jones was shot on Dec. 1 while arresting Devontea L. Wright, 27, at a Riverview Drive home.
While Wright has not been charged with the shooting, Wright grabbed Jones’ gun and fired it, said a Benton County deputy prosecutor.
This story was originally published March 24, 2023 at 10:12 AM.