Prosecutor rules shooting at a burglary suspect justified

The Spokane County Prosecutor has ruled that a Spokane police officer who shot at a fleeing burglary suspect and missed was justified in his actions.

Officer James Erickson responded to a reported burglary at the Peking North Restaurant at 4120 N. Division the morning of July 27. He saw a man run out the open door and gave chase.

The officer said he saw the suspect, identified as Cephas Parham, pull out a gun while running and he refused orders to drop it. Erickson fired twice and missed. Parham was arrested after a struggle with Erickson that included being Tazed.

The gun later turned out to be fake, but the prosecutor’s report said that “Police are not required to guess whether a look-alike weapon is real or not.”