By Donald W. Meyers
Yakima Herald-Republic
CLE ELUM, Wash. — The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting death of a 60-year-old Port Townsend man Wednesday night by a Cle Elum police officer.
The man, identified by the sheriff’s office as Timothy Meehan, was killed after police said he pointed a handgun at an officer who was investigating a report about a possible suicidal man.
When police knocked on his door at the Stewart Lodge, Meehan reportedly came out of the room and pointed a gun at one of the responding officers, according a news release from the Cle Elum-Roslyn-South Cle Elum Police Department. The officer, whose name has not been released, fired after Meehan ignored multiple orders to drop the gun, the release said.
The officer, who was described as having been on the force for more than three years, is on administrative leave while the investigation proceeds, the release said.
Attempts to contact Chief Scott Ferguson Thursday were not successful. A woman who answered the phone at the police department said he was out for the day.
The department asked the sheriff’s office to investigate the shooting, Undersheriff Clay Myers said. The Washington State Patrol assisted with mapping the crime scene, Myers said.
Myers did not know if there have been any other officer-involved shootings in Cle Elum. An autopsy has been scheduled, but Myers said he did not know when it was to take place.
Court records show that Meehan pleaded guilty in 1996 to fourth-degree assault in King County District Court in Renton.
Copyright 2016 Yakima Herald-Republic