Prosecutor issues finding in Tacoma police officer’s fatal shooting of man last year
The Tacoma police officer who fatally shot a 28-year-old during a traffic stop last year was justified in using deadly force, the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office has found.
Officer Christopher Bain shot Hashim Wilson after Wilson pointed a rifle at him during the stop, police said.
“Before Mr. Wilson decided to get out of his car and point his rifle at Officer Bain, the officer gave explicit, clear commands to drop the gun,” the Prosecutor’s Office wrote in a letter to the police department Tuesday. “Mr. Wilson ignored the commands and intentionally escalated this situation.”
The letter, which says Bain’s use of force was justifiable and lawful, gives this account of what happened:
Officer Bain, then 39, tried to pull Wilson over on July 21 when he noticed the Jeep Wilson was driving had “unsafe, obstructive damage to its windshield.”
The Jeep turned onto G Street from 38th Street, and ultimately stopped after turning onto 40th Street.
Bain approached the Jeep and told Wilson to show his hands. He thought he saw a shotgun in Wilson’s lap, which is when the officer retreated, drew his weapon and shouted for Wilson to drop the gun.
Wilson didn’t.
“Instead he raised the gun in Officer Bain’s direction,” the letter says. “Officer Bain fired four shots from his duty weapon. Mr. Wilson fell near the front of the Jeep.”
Wilson died later at a hospital.
Investigators found Wilson’s gun, a .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle with a bump stock, had 22 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.
They also found live rounds in the Jeep and one outside on the ground.
The windshield damage was investigated.
“The examination indicated that it had been caused by multiple bullet strikes from within the Jeep,” the letter said. “It was not possible to determine when the bullet strikes occurred. There was no evidence to suggest they coincided with this incident.”
Witnesses said they saw Wilson with the gun before the officer fired, and that they heard the officer give commands before firing.
Others described Wilson’s behavior prior to the shooting.
One witness said Wilson had followed him to his home and was captured on his doorbell camera. Another said Wilson pointed what looked like a rifle at her.
“She was taken to safety by a nearby resident, who also saw the gun,” the letter said. “They called 911 but that call was dispatched after Officer Bain had already initiated the traffic stop. Officer Bain was unaware of the call when he initiated the traffic stop.”
Another witness said Wilson seemed to be acting erratically the day before. He had walked around the Jeep and seemed to be talking to himself.
Loved ones told investigators that Wilson had needed mental health treatment, and that he had recently threatened suicide.
“Given the facts and circumstances known to Officer Bain, any similarly situated reasonable police officer would have believed that deadly force was necessary to prevent imminent death or serious physical harm to themselves and/or others,” the letter from the prosecutor said.
