Washington State Patrol trooper shoots and kills man on I-5

LACEY, Wash. -- A Washington State Patrol trooper shot and killed a man along Interstate 5 in Lacey Saturday morning.

It happened on the southbound part of the freeway near Carpenter Road.

Since this is a shooting involving an officer, a team that includes a number of Thurston County law enforcement agencies have taken over the investigation.



The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office tells us the man was suicidal and approached a trooper's vehicle with a knife. Troopers say they told him several times to drop the knife, but he didn't. That is when one trooper pulled his gun and shot.

“All of our officers have mandatory training to deal with crisis intervention. And really, people who are in mental duress and who have mental illness and we’re just taught to diffuse it the best way that we can,” said Trooper Brooke Bova of the Washington State Patrol. “Unfortunately there are times when using our training and experience, it’s unsuccessful.”

Paramedics attempted life-saving measures but the man died at the scene.

His name has not been released, but he was a 22-year-old National Guard reservist, according to Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock.

The identity is expected to be released Sunday and an autopsy will be performed early next week.

The Thurston County Critical Incident Investigation team is handling the investigation.