SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane police officer who was placed on administrative leave back will not face any charges in connection to an incident that took place in July 2019.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Spokane County Prosecutor's Office notified Spokane Police they are declining charges against Officer Kristopher Henderson.
In a press release, Senior Spokane Police Officer John O'Brien said SPD will continue with the Internal Affairs investigation to see if any department policies or procedures were violated.
The officer was involved in a pursuit that later resulted in the suspect resisting arrest and assaulting the officer, Spokane Police Cpl. Teresa Fuller said. During the use-of-force review, Internal Affairs noted an application of force used by the officer appeared to be in violation of the department’s policy, according to Spokane Police.
Based on the type of force used, SPD asked the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office to review the incident for any potential criminal culpability, Spokane Police said. SPD initiated an internal excessive force complaint, which was temporarily suspended pending a determination from the county’s investigation.