YELM, Wash. — Deputies shot a person while responding to a trailer fire alongside firefighters in Yelm this morning.
According to Sheriff Sanders with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, at the request of the fire department, a TCSO deputy responded to a home for a fully engulfed vehicle fire at around 9 a.m.
Sheriff Sanders reports that the home has been tagged as a caution for previous violent criminal activity, prohibiting the fire department from responding alone.
“Upon arrival, the deputy gave commands to a subject to step away from the fire. The subject presented a firearm and charged toward the deputy. The deputy fired several times, striking the subject,” wrote Sheriff Sanders in a statement sent out later that same morning.
According to Sheriff Sanders, TCSO deputies and Yelm Police Department officers removed a second gun from the subject and began treating his injuries before taking him to the hospital.
TCSO says his injuries are not expected to be life-threatening.
Nobody else was injured.
Per standard protocol, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office deputy involved has been placed on administrative leave.
In compliance with the statute, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office will not be involved in an independent investigation, and the Region 3 Critical Incident Investigation Team (Region 3 CIIT) will be investigating.