Just after 12:29 a.m. Tuesday morning, Aug. 6, a Kent Police Officer shot an armed 15-year old while conducting a traffic stop.
Police say that the officer stopped a vehicle with expired tabs at the intersection of Central Avenue North and East Pioneer Street in downtown Kent (map below).
After notifying dispatch of the stop, the officer announced over the radio that the driver had a gun and called for backup.
Moments later and before other units could arrive, the officer announced that shots had been fired.
Backup officers arrived to assist and learned that a young male had been shot twice; sustaining gunshot wounds to his right arm and upper right leg areas.
Officers also located a handgun that was clearly visible on the driver’s side floorboard of the car.
Officers immediately provided the suspect medical aid and were later assisted by fire personnel. The suspect was transported to Harborview Medical Center for further treatment.
Police say that the suspect is a 15-year old male Kent resident with extensive criminal history, including prior convictions for theft of firearm, robbery and assault. The suspect was in stable condition and is expected to recover from his injuries. Police did not release the name of the suspect because he is a juvenile.
As is standard procedure, the Officer was placed on administrative leave. The Valley Investigative Team was called out to conduct a third-party independent investigation. Police are not releasing the name of the officer involved in this incident at this time.
None of the officers involved in this incident were assigned body cameras, but the investigators are canvassing nearby businesses for potential video and witnesses.
