Hillyard police shooting ruled justified

Spokane police officers were justified in shooting Jason M. Smith in his father’s Hillyard driveway in October, the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office has ruled.

Police responded to the home at 4118 E. Longfellow for a domestic violence incident and found Smith in the driveway sitting in a pickup. Body camera footage shows that officers Christopher McMurtrey, Stanley Stadelman and Joseph Matt attempted to use their cars to block Smith in but Smith accelerated forward and the officers fired.

Under those circumstances is was “reasonable and prudent for the officers to act to protect public safety,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.

Smith was shot twice during the incident but survived.