Hermiston man sentenced in shooting of Pasco police officer during Dec. 2022 struggle
A Pasco man accused of shooting a police officer with his own gun during a struggle is headed to prison.
The final sentencing hearing took place in Franklin County Superior Court more than a month after Devontea Wright, 28, was found responsible in the December 2022 shooting of Pasco Officer Jeremy Jones.
The Hermiston man’s case was complicated by the jury finding him guilty of a lesser charge because of questions about the struggle and potential issues with the gun’s holster.
This week he was sentenced to 92 months in prison, or just over 7.5 years, according to a news release from Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Maureen Astley.
Wright was found guilty of second-degree assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer. Prosecutors had argued for a conviction for first-degree assault.
He also was found guilty of resisting arrest, attempting to disarm a police officer and illegally possessing a gun.
Jurors also added two aggravating factors of using an gun during the assault, and that it was committed against a police officer in the course of his official duties.
Superior Court Judge Norma Rodriguez also sentenced Wright to nine months for the attempted disarming charge, 16 months on the unlawful possession of a firearm charge and three months for resisting arrest. Those sentences will run at the same time, and he was given credit for time served to date.
Astley said that the court was filled with law enforcement support for Jones during the hearing. Astley was assisted in the prosecution by Rule 9 Intern Anthony Trujillo. A Rule 9 is a recent law school graduate awaiting bar results that has been brought on in a limited capacity.
Wright did not speak at the hearing and plans to appeal his conviction, according to the news release.
Pasco officer shot
Jones was helping a U.S. Marshal’s task force arrest people on warrants when he went to a home at 1927 Riverview Drive to arrest Wright on an outstanding Benton County warrant.
Jones spotted Wright in a pickup that had parked outside of the house. After grabbing him and taking him out of the truck, Wright started to fight.
That led to Jones, along with two other officers, piling onto Wright in an attempt to control his hands and legs.
During the struggle, Jones was shot in the leg.
Prosecutors said that Wright reached for Jones’ gun which was still in the holster and managed to get his finger on the trigger.
While Jones has returned to work, the injury left him with lingering effects, according to prosecutors. He is missing a large amount of muscle in that leg. He needs to use his other leg to compensate.
Wright has maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings.
Different versions
Astley and defense attorney Michael Vander Sys gave different versions of what happened during the struggle in front of the house during the trial.
Astley told jurors during closing arguments that Jones knew Wright would run when he got a glassy “1,000-yard stare.” When he saw the look, he asked for help from other task force officers. As one was approaching, Wright tried to run.
“Officer Jones said it took everything in him to be able to hold on to prevent the defendant from escaping,” she said. “The fight moved from the door of the car to the front yard.”
Kennewick Detective Randy McCalmant was one of the officers wrestling with Wright as they tried to arrest him.
Jones said McCalmant put his hand on top of Wright’s as he held onto Jones’ gun.
Astley said Wright appeared to be able to get his finger inside the holster and pull the trigger.
“When I came before you in opening statements, I talked about how unbelievable this theory is, that this gun went off in this holster,” Astley said. “But members of the jury, that is exactly what happened in this case.”
After the gun fired, Wright stopped struggling, and Jones rolled off. Two tourniquets were placed on his leg to stem the bleeding and he was rushed to a local hospital.
When investigators found Jones’ duty belt, his gun was still inside. Within weeks, Pasco police changed every one of their department-issued holsters to prevent something similar from happening again.
“Officer Jeremy Jones never thought his day would end like this, screaming in pain as (task force officer) McCalmant packed his wound with gauze,” she said. “Everything that happened in this case is due to the defendant’s actions and the defendant’s choices.”
Astley said it would have been possible for Wright’s DNA not to transfer onto the textured rubber grip of the trigger or to the holster.
Vander Sys point out in his closing argument that no one saw the gun be fired. He noted even Wright was surprised when he heard the shot.
He said the officers effectively testified that they “didn’t do it. Therefore he must have done it.”
He noted that no DNA was found, and officers presented conflicting details about where Wright was and how the struggle happened.
“So when you’re looking at something and deciding if something happened and you have reasonable doubt, DNA is really strong evidence,” Vander Sys said. “DNA can’t lie. You can’t fake it. It’s not human so there’s no human factor like error or mistake. It’s science.”
In his closing arguments, he presented three possible versions of events. He noted that Jones could have accidentally fired the gun. He noted that Jones told a doctor that he had shot himself.
“What is the best evidence that Officer Jones shot himself, he said he did,” Vander Sys said. “He stated that he pulled the gun out from his holster when the other person grabbed his hand and the trigger was somehow pulled during this process.”
He said that Jones has hired a lawyer to sue the holster manufacturer, and he has a financial interest in not being the one responsible for firing the shot.
He also said that McCalmant could have accidentally pulled the trigger when they were struggling. He noted a cut on the detective’s finger that appeared after the struggle.
His final suggestion was that McCalmant’s radio antenna got caught. He noted that the antenna appeared broken after the struggle.
This story was originally published November 22, 2023 at 12:59 PM.
