Sheriff’s Office stands by training
Facing the muzzle of a gun, a Spokane County sheriff’s deputy said he had one immediate thought: death.
Ryan Walter squeezed off eight rounds at the gunman, Donald J. Lafavor. His partner, Deputy Rustin Olson, fired three.
Lafavor survived the gunshot wounds and faces two counts of second-degree assault for allegedly pointing the gun at the deputies, who had responded to a domestic violence report at Lafavor’s Broadway Avenue apartment last November.
Afterward, Walter summarized his relief in an interview with investigators: “I’m glad we have good training.”
That training now is under scrutiny after four officer-involved shootings in the past 2 1/2 months in Spokane County. In three, sheriff’s deputies pulled the trigger.