Police officers will not be charged in May shooting

No criminal charges will be brought against three Spokane Police officers who shot a knife-wielding man in May.

Spokane police Officers Ronald Van Tassel, Julian Cedeno and Lt. Dave McCabe were justified in their use of deadly force while trying to arrest Terry C. Wallette, 29, according to a Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office news release.

Wallete, who stabbed himself and reportedly threatened others on May 8, survived the shooting. He has been released from the hospital and is currently in jail on six counts of second degree assault.

Just hours before the shooting, Wallette had checked himself into the emergency room at Holy Family Hospital as a possible overdose, according to the news release.

However, he soon became upset and pulled a knife on a hospital employee. He then fled the hospital by car. While doing so he nearly hit a pedestrian, according to the news release.

Lt. Dave McCabe watched Wallette run a stopsign after fleeing the hospital. McCabe chased him briefly, but stopped for safety reasons.

McCabe later saw Wallette parked on the side of the road. Wallette had exited his car and was dressed in a hospital gown with pants on underneath. McCabe tried to apprehend Wallette, but Wallette ran, according to the release. While fleeing the police Wallette allegedly threatened two people living nearby.

Once cornered by police, Wallette said he “was not going back to prison” and began cutting himself on the stomach and left wrist, according to the news release.

That’s when Officer John Yen attempted to use a taser on Wallette. The taser didn’t work, according to the news release. As Yen tried to reload the taser, Wallette raised the knife and began to move toward Yen, at which point Van Tassel fired “a single shot” at Wallette.

Wallette then turned back toward Van Tassel and McCabe, still with the knife raised. McCabe and Cedeno shot him again. A total of six shots were fired, according to the prosecutor’s office.

A video taken by a neighbor shows Wallette yelling “shoot me” at police and “I’m not going to prison for the rest of my life.” An officer responds by saying, “I’m not going to do that.”

Because of danger Wallette presented, as well as his repeated failure to respond to officer commands, the prosecutor’s officer determined it was reasonable for the officers to use deadly force, according to the news release.