3 Pierce County deputies fired at a Buckley man armed with a rifle. They have been named
Three Pierce County deputies who fatally shot a Buckley man in July following what authorities described as a domestic-violence call have been identified.
They are:
- Ernest Cedillo, 34, five years with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
Stephen Cloninger, 36, five years with PCSD.
Devin Ditsch, 28, three years with PCSD.
Deputies were dispatched at about 11:32 p.m. on July 24 to a home near the 7500 block of 242nd Avenue Court East for reports of a domestic-violence incident involving a weapon, The News Tribune previously reported.
Deputies got a woman out of the residence. At 11:44 p.m., deputies advised that 48-year-old Timothy McDonald had racked his rifle and could be seen from the window. He was reportedly on the porch at 11:51 p.m. with the firearm, the story said.
McDonald allegedly was not cooperative and pointed the rifle at deputies, the story said. The three deputies fired shots at McDonald, who was later pronounced dead at the scene.
The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office reported that McDonald died from multiple gunshot wounds. His manner of death is listed as a homicide.
No bystanders or deputies were injured. The Pierce County Force Investigation Team is investigating the shooting.
