Veteran was heavily armed when killed by deputies, investigators say

Jed Zillmer, the 23-year-old Army veteran who was shot by law enforcement after a lengthy chase Tuesday night, was heavily armed at the time, investigators say. The Spokane Investigative Regional Response team said in a news release that Zillmer was holding one gun and had two others on his person. Several more weapons were visible in his vehicle, the release said, although the car hasn’t been searched yet. Zillmer was wearing a “ballistic-style vest,” the release said. Six deputies fired their weapons; they have not been identified. Law enforcement personnel and witnesses are still being interviewed, the release said. Zillmer, a combat veteran wounded in Afghanistan three years ago, was reportedly despondent when he fled in a car eastbound on I-90, turned around in Coeur d’Alene and returned to Spokane. He had been denied disability benefits by the Army and was a plaintiff in a lawsuit over that decision. Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said Wednesday that law enforcement wanted to make sure Zillmer didn’t reach the Spokane Valley Mall. He was killed outside his car at Sullivan Road and Indiana Avenue, just east of the mall. Investigators are asking that anyone who witnessed the incident or has additional information to contact Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.