Woman shot by bounty hunter near Graham dies

GRAHAM, Wash. — The partner of a Graham woman shot and killed by bail enforcement agents says seeing her gunned down before his eyes was devastating.

“Would you be in good shape if you seen your partner shot in front of you and killed?” Kevin Veale said. “It’s not a very good feeling.”

Veale was at the home of Kathryn New, 60, about 8 a.m. Wednesday when three bail enforcement agents, sometimes referred to as bounty hunters, came to take her son Aaron New back to jail in connection with a court order prohibiting contact she had taken out last November after a violent family confrontation.

Detective Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, said the three agents were confronted by Kathryn New, who tried to stop them then retreated to another room before returning with a firearm.

“Came out with what appeared to be a weapon and tried to take a gun out of the case. At that point there was some yelling back and forth and she ended up being shot and tased pretty close to the same time period,” said Troyer.

Kathryn New died a short time later at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Tacoma.

Bail enforcement agents have the legal right to enter the home of someone wanted for violating conditions of release. They often carry firearms for protection but only have the right to shoot someone in self-defense.

Veale said despite the agent’s claims they were threatened, he believes the shooting was not justified.

“Killing an unarmed person’s justified? No that’s not justified,” said Veale. Asked about investigators' statements that New was armed and that a weapon was recovered from the scene, Veale said, “Well that sounds like a good story to me.”

Another one of New's sons, Patrick New, came to the scene and said his mother was simply defending herself when the agents came to take her son into custody.

“I’m thinking that they kicked in her door and she has a legal right to protect her property under the [expletive] Constitution of America," Patrick New said. “If this ain’t America no more I don’t know what to say.”

The three agents are said to be cooperating with investigators and are not under arrest. Aaron New was booked into the Pierce County Jail for violating the no-contact order. He is also wanted on a $50,000 warrant for driving under the influence.

Cox Media Group