Associated Press
TACOMA, Wash. — The Pierce County prosecutor says a sheriff’s sniper was justified in shooting a man who used his two children as human shields and earlier killed a Tacoma police officer.
Prosecutor Mark Lindquist says Deputy Bob Shaw “prevented further loss of life” when he shot and killed Bruce Johnson on Dec. 1.
Shaw fired a single round into a bedroom window, ending a nearly 11-hour standoff that began when Johnson shot and killed 45-year-old Officer Jake Gutierrez.
Gutierrez, a 17-year veteran of the department, and his partner were responding to a domestic violence call.
The News Tribune reports that Lindquist’s finding was released Friday along with details about the standoff.
The prosecutor’s office says that Johnson’s daughter told investigators her father was holding her in front of him by her shoulder when he was shot.