Suspect in Kent trooper shooting being held on no-bail DOC warrant
KENT, Wash. - A man accused of shooting a Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper in Kent on Friday night is being held on a no-bail Department of Corrections warrant.
Jason Posada, 31, has been charged with assault, theft of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm after repeatedly shooting at a trooper.
FOX 13 previously reported the Trooper was trying to pull Posada over for a possible DUI on Friday, February 16.
Posada has a history of being violent. He has eight felony convictions for robbery, assault, theft and being a fugitive, to name a few.
Court documents now paint what appears to be a shocking and violent encounter between the WSP trooper and the 31-year-old.
The situation started unfolding around 11:09 p.m. when the trooper radioed in that he was behind a possible DUI driver as he headed south on SR 167.
The trooper noted the possibly impaired driver had been speeding, and he tried pulling them over, but a minute later, Posada sped through a red light, hitting another car, court documents say.
The black pick-up he was in was reported stolen on Monday, just days before. Instead of stopping after the crash, Posada ran off. Docs say the trooper chased him into the residential area.
This is where the struggle allegedly began. The trooper says he saw Posada pull out a gun from his waistband. He pulled out his service weapon and tried to shoot Posada, but his gun did not fire.
Documents say Posada’s gun went off, and he was hit with shrapnel in the face. The trooper says he tried to separate himself from Posada when he was shot in the leg.
Posada fired at least five times. The trooper collapsed trying to run away. While he was down, docs say Posada stole the trooper's firearm and as he was walking away, shot at him repeatedly.
The trooper was taken to the hospital. He had nine wounds that needed surgery which left him in the ICU recovering.
Posada was found about 500 feet away from where the shooting happened, hiding in a backyard. A backpack was found nearby with two guns inside-- one of which belonged to the trooper.
A search warrant showed Posada sent a message to someone saying he "shot a cop" and asking them to "hurry."
The suspect was booked into jail around 4 p.m. on Saturday, though he was taken into custody shortly before 1 a.m., not long after the shooting occurred.
Kent Police originally said two people were arrested in connection to the shooting, though it's currently unknown if a second suspect is still in custody.
Documents say the witnesses saw the woman flee from the stolen pickup. She was found after a resident called 911 saying they allowed her into their home when she asked to come in.
According to documents, the 27-year-old woman only knows Posada as "Shadow". She said he sped up when the trooper turned on his sirens. However, before the shooting began, she says Posada told her to grab her stuff and leave.
The shooting came just hours after a fatal shooting on a Metro bus in Kent.
WSP Chief John Batiste says Posada has now been charged by the King County Prosecutor's Office, and it will be up to the courts to decide the legal outcomes of this case.
Chief Batiste released a statement Thursday discussing the shooting and recognizing the ifirst responders who saved the trooper's life.
"I want to publicly thank the other troopers, the Kent police officers, and the first responder/medical professionals who so quickly attended to our wounded colleague’s urgent medical needs. Their quick and heroic actions kept this from being a larger tragedy," Chief Batiste said. "The outpouring of support we have received for our wounded trooper, his family, and the ‘family’ of the Patrol is truly and deeply felt and appreciated. Thank you."