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Wash. PD releases videos of suspect’s ambush attack on officer

The suspect is accused of wounding Officer Phil Hanks and then preparing to shoot Deputy Kenton Childers

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The Benton County Sheriff’s Office and the Pasco Police Department released separate videos to the public of the March 24 shooting of Pasco Officer Phil Hanks and the suspect.

Pasco Police Department

https://www.facebook.com/pasco.police/videos/252222290598370

By Cameron Probert
Tri-City Herald

PASCO, Wash. —Newly released body-cam and dash-cam video appears to show a Pasco man readying to open fire at an officer when he was shot by police.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office and the Pasco Police Department released separate videos to the public on Wednesday of March 24 shooting of Pasco Officer Phil Hanks and the suspect David Ramos-Galvez.

Ramos-Galvez, 37, is apparently still recovering at a rehabilitation center while facing attempted murder charges in Franklin County Superior Court.

He’s accused of wounding Hanks and then preparing to shoot Deputy Kenton Childers.

He was treated at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland then transferred to a Spokane rehabilitation center.

The series of events on March 24 started about 5:45 a.m. when Officer Hanks was called to the Circle K gas station at 3109 W. Court St.

Pasco police dash and body camera footage shows Hanks’ car approaching the Circle K as Ramos-Galvez’s white BMW is heading toward the station’s exit.

The white car stops as Hanks gets out of his car. Hanks was near the passenger’s side door of the patrol car when the BMW’s door opens a crack and about 12 shots are fired through the window.

The video shows Hanks drop to the ground after getting hit in the arm, and, according to court documents, he made his way to the back of his car.

Immediately after opening fire, the white BMW drives away.

Hanks was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center and released later that day.

Officers and deputies from around the area converged on Pasco to help find the BMW.

Argent Road shooting

While the videos released by Pasco police Chief Ken Roske and Benton County Sheriff Tom Croskrey mention the chase that came next, no video was released showing when a Franklin County sheriff’s sergeant spotted the BMW on Riverhaven Drive.

When the deputy tried to stop the car, the driver refused to stop, leading two Franklin County deputies on a chase through Pasco.

https://www.facebook.com/BenCoWASheriff/videos/900827037814809

The five-minute pursuit reached speeds of 65 mph on Court Street, said investigators.

As he headed north on Road 64, two Benton County deputies were preparing to try and stop the car by puncturing the tires.

That’s where the video from Childers’ patrol car starts. The deputy is in his patrol car near the intersection while another deputy is preparing to throw a stop stick into the street in an attempt to deflate the tires on the BMW.

The video shows the car avoid the strip as it pulls into the intersection.

Childers then pulls into the path of the car. As the two cars approach, it becomes clear from the video that Ramos-Galvez has something that looks like a rifle propped against the car’s dash.

It isn’t clear from the video whether Ramos-Galvez fires a shot before his windshield is pierced by bullets. It sounds like about 12 shots in all are fired.

Officers then pulled him out of the car and start giving him first aid for his gunshot wounds.

Officers said he had a pistol on his lap and a rifle propped on the dash and his hand was on the rifle grip.

The Regional Special Investigations Unit has been put in charge of the investigation to determine if the officers and deputies followed the law in their handling of the incident.

The unit is called in to look at any officer-involved shooting in Benton, Franklin or Walla Walla counties.

A separate internal process will take place to determine if Childers followed the correct sheriff’s department procedures.

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