SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane police officer who shot a man while responding to a report of an armed and dangerous suspect won't face criminal charges, the Spokane County Prosecutor's Office announced Friday.
In a statement, the prosecutor's office said Officer Garth Craigen "was justified in the use of deadly force" during an incident with Brandon Dozier last December. Craigen reportedly shot Dozier after he showed a weapon when police arrived.
The initial incident was reported at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 4, 2022. The caller said a suspicious car was in an alley between Illinois and Montgomery Avenues, and a woman in the car was yelling for someone to call 911.
Three Spokane police officers responded to the call, including Craigen. When they arrived, the suspect, later identified as Dozier, and a woman were outside the car. The woman started to walk away and Dozier said something to the effect of "I'm going to die today. I'm going to die."
Police said Dozier appeared to have a handgun in his right hand. Officers told him to drop the gun, but he didn't listen and started walking backward while holding the gun "in such a way that it could be raised in a split second," according to the prosecutor's office.
Officers continued telling Dozier to drop the gun and told him Craigen was behind him. Dozier reportedly didn't listen and started walking toward Craigen face-to-face.
Police said Dozier "made a sudden movement to his right," which Craigen believed was him trying to hide so he could shoot at the officer. Craigen then fired one shot at Dozier to prevent him from shooting at him or the other officers.
After the shot was fired, Dozier ran away from the area and was not located. The search for him resulted in the neighborhood being put under a shelter-in-place order.
According to the prosecutor's office, Dozier was not injured.
The prosecutor's office ultimately determined that Craigen was authorized to use deadly force because he believed Dozier was armed with a real gun and feared for his life. Therefore, he won't face any criminal charges.
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