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Prosecutor: Wash. police shooting justified

Man is charged with 6 felonies, including assault against the deputy

Spokane Spokesman-Review

STEVENS COUNTY, Wash. — A Stevens County man shot by law enforcement in March has been charged with six felonies, including assault against the sheriff’s deputy who shot him.

Trinidy Capone Lopez, 24, is accused of pointing a stolen semi-automatic Taurus .380 caliber pistol at Deputy Travis Frizzell before Frizzell shot him March 5 in an upstairs bedroom at his parents’ home at 4359 E. Deer Lake Road. Lopez was suspected of vehicle prowlings outside a bar; he was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a previous felony conviction.

Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen recently determined the shooting was justified and declined to file criminal charges against Frizzell. Lopez was charged Wednesday in Stevens County Superior Court with second-degree assault, possessing a stolen firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm and three counts of second-degree vehicle prowling.

The second-degree assault charge includes an aggravating factor that brings an additional year in prison because the victim was a law enforcement official and a gun was involved.

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