Man shot and killed by police after holding knife to toddler identified; officers also named

The man who allegedly held a knife to a toddler’s throat and was subsequently shot and killed by Spokane police officers Monday on East Desmet Avenue has been identified in court documents.

Peterson Kamo, 23, was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center where he was pronounced dead Monday.

Police responded around 1 p.m. Monday to 2423 E. Desmet Ave. for a welfare check after emergency dispatch received a call from Kamo’s mother making statements “about a son being dead,” according to a search warrant affidavit filed Wednesday in Spokane County Superior Court.

The caller was from the Marshall Islands, and a language barrier made it difficult to obtain clear information, the affidavit said.

Officers encountered family members near the entrance of the two-story duplex, the documents said. Officers approached the front door of the residence and one officer observed Kamo inside, holding a small child with a knife to the child’s throat, the documents said.

Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, at which point Kamo retreated upstairs with the child, the affidavit said. Through discussion at the scene, officers believed Kamo might attempt to light a kerosene can, potentially causing an explosion.

The documents said officers entered the residence and engaged with Kamo at the top of the stairs. Officers fired shots a short time later, striking Kamo. They provided aid before Kamo was taken to the hospital.

The Spokane Independent Investigative Response team responded for the investigation.

Kamo’s mother told a detective that Kamo had not behaved like that before, the affidavit said.

Spokane police Chief Craig Meidl said Monday that the toddler was not physically injured.

The two officers who shot and killed Kamo were placed on administrative leave, which Spokane police Cpl. Nick Briggs said was standard procedure for any officer-involved shooting. They were identified Thursday as Cpl. Brandon Lynch, who joined the department in 2013, and officer Corrigan Mohondro, a 2012 addition to the force.

Both have worked as training officers, a news release said. Lynch has also worked as a marksman while Mohondro teaches firearms and less-lethal force.