Officer Broke Rules When Shooting Man

A police review board has ruled a Tacoma policeman broke department guidelines when he shot a man in the back.

Officer Barry Paris, 42, a six-year veteran, was not justified in firing his weapon when he wounded Darrell Coleman during a confrontation on a downtown street May 20, the board said.

The night of the shooting, Paris and other officers were told Coleman, 30, of Seattle, was armed and intended to harass an apartment tenant near Wright Park.

No weapon was found after the shooting.

The board last week found Paris “did not have sufficient facts, nor was in the best position relative to the suspect and other officers to accurately gauge the threat level posed by Darrell Coleman.”

Paris, who has been on sick leave, will not face disciplinary action or prosecution because there was no criminal intent involved in the shooting, police spokesman Jim Mattheis said.

Paris must go through retraining, though, Mattheis said.

Coleman was released from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle last week.