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The incident began at 2:20 a.m. during an attempted burglary at Littlerock Grocery Store, 6410 128th Ave. SW, according to Thurston County Sheriff’s Lt. Greg Elwin.
The store was closed. Surveillance footage shows a white Chevrolet pickup parked by the gasoline pumps and a man in a black hooded sweatshirt throwing a large rock at the window, according to store owner Han Kim.
Kim said the footage shows two people. Police later determined one person damaged two of the store’s windows.
The white pickup left shortly before police arrived. It was found about 15 minutes later at a Waddell Creek Road home where Keith Miles lives with his mother and father, about a mile northwest of the store, Elwin said.
When police arrived, Miles’ mother came outside and confronted deputies, Elwin said.
“She was resistant to cops being there,” he said.
While police temporarily detained her, Elwin said, Miles came out of the house swinging at officers with a pool cue.
“A deputy used a Taser on the man that was ineffective,” Elwin said.
The deputy fell during the confrontation. While he was on the ground, Elwin said, Miles attempted to hit him in the head with the pool cue.
A second deputy shot Miles in the chest. Miles was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, where he was pronounced dead about 4 a.m.
Elwin said the Sheriff’s Office had “very little” history with Miles.
The deputy who shot Miles, a 34-year-old who has been with the department for six years, was placed on paid administrative leave, Elwin said. That’s standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.
An autopsy is set for Monday morning, county Coroner Gary Warnock said.
Detectives from Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Thurston counties, as well as the Washington State Patrol, assisted in the investigation.
Mary Ruiz, who lives off Waddell Creek Road, was taken aback by signs blocking her way home Friday morning.
The 10-year Littlerock-area resident was shocked to learn about the second officer-involved shooting in Littlerock in the past few months.
An officer shot and killed a 70-year-old man who fired at two deputies and a Tenino police officer Aug. 15.
Both shootings have shocked neighbors.
“It’s so foreign for here,” Ruiz said. “This is such a family-oriented neighborhood. To have something like that hit so close to home …”
Chelsea Krotzer: 360-754-5476
ckrotzer@theolympian.com
theolympian.com/thisjustin
@chelseakrotzer
