Armed carjacking suspect killed by law enforcement officer near Kennewick mall
A suspected armed carjacker died at a Tri-Cities hospital Sunday night after being shot by an officer near Columbia Center mall.
The suspected thief was shot and killed while trying to steal a car from another driver, but the confrontation apparently followed a string of crimes including an armed robbery, a car theft and ramming two police cars, according to investigators.
Benton County Coroner Bill Leach told the Herald on Monday morning that the man who died had yet to be identified. An autopsy is scheduled on Wednesday at the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The string of crimes appear to have started hours earlier when Richland police spotted a man sleeping inside a stolen Cadillac Escalade early Sunday.
Richland police Deputy Chief David Neher told the Herald it appears to be the same suspect who was killed in the shooting.
A earlier police department Facebook post said the Escalade was tied to a series of car prowls in the area.
Officers surrounded the SUV and placed spike strips around it, and parked their cars in an attempt to block it from escaping.
But the driver woke up and slammed the car into the patrol vehicles and got away. He damaged the Cadillac’s tires on his way out.
The SUV was discovered abandoned a short distance later and a 2023 Hyundai Palisade was missing from a nearby garage. It’s believed the suspect broke into it and it was last seen on Road 68 in Pasco.
Hours later, at 8:40 p.m. Sunday, Kennewick police spotted a car also reported stolen. When the officer tried to stop it, the driver sped away. It’s unclear where that chase began.
According to dispatch reports, it stretched from Edison Street in Kennewick to Columbia Center Boulevard and reached speeds up to 100 mph.
He ended up crashing on the lawn of the Bank of America at Columbia Center mall, at the corner of Columbia Center Boulevard and Quinault Avenue.
The driver ran and was trying to take another car at gunpoint when a Benton County deputy pulled up, said officials.
The sheriff’s office didn’t confirm if it was the deputy who shot him.
After he was wounded, officers and deputies arriving at the scene immediately started trying to save his life, said a Facebook post by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
By Washington state law, the Regional Special Investigations Unit (SIU) was called to take over investigating what happened. The unit investigates officer-involved shootings in Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties.
Anyone who saw what happened is asked to contact SIU through the non-emergency dispatch number at 509-628-0333.
This story was originally published June 5, 2023 at 11:16 AM.