Prosecutor rules Spokane police officer justified in deadly January shooting

A Spokane police officer who shot and killed a man after a foot chase in January was justified to use deadly force, the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office ruled.

Dexter Dumarce, 33, was killed in the early-morning hours of Jan. 15 after a chase that started on Spokane’s South Hill and ended near downtown where Dumarce was shot four times by Spokane police Cpl. Ryan Jamieson. Dumarce died at the scene.

The prosecutor’s office announced Tuesday that it will not file charges against Jamieson.

Police originally stopped Dumarce near Ninth Avenue and Adams Street because he looked suspicious in an area known for a high rate of car break-ins, according to previous police news releases.

Police said they tried to stop and talk to Dumarce, but he abruptly dropped his backpack and brandished a long-bladed, spring-loaded knife.

He then took off running north while officers followed on foot. A witness told The Spokesman-Review soon after the incident that three or four officers were behind Dumarce with guns and Tasers drawn.

The witness said he saw multiple officers attempting to stun Dumarce in the back, but it appeared it was ineffective because he was wearing heavy winter clothing.

When Dumarce got to Fifth Avenue and Walnut Street, he ran toward a busy intersection with cars stopped at a stoplight. That’s when Jamieson fired his weapon, according to police.

“The immediate concern was that Dumarce may attack or take a hostage of one of the vehicles’ occupants,” a news release states. “Under these circumstances, it was reasonable for Cpl. Jamieson to use deadly force. Dumarce presented a serious and immediate threat to officers and to the safety of others who were stopped at the traffic light.”

The decision not to file charges against Jamieson comes a day after the prosecutor’s office announced that the shooting of a man outside of a downtown Spokane bar on May 1, 2016, was justified. The shooting by police was the third in five days last spring.

The January incident is the first officer-involved killing in the Spokane area since April 2016, when a man was shot and killed outside of the House of Charity. Spokane County prosecutors also ruled the shooting justified in June.