Man fatally shot by trooper on I-5 near Lacey ‘wanted suicide by cop,’ WSP says

A man called 911 from King County at 6:13 a.m. Saturday and said he “wanted suicide by cop,” according to Washington State Patrol trooper Brooke Bova.

He ended up fatally shot at 6:49 a.m. by a trooper on southbound Interstate 5 near Lacey, Bova said.

Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock said the 22-year-old man was a reservist in the National Guard. He said no other information could be released until that is confirmed due to the Army’s family notification policies. An autopsy will likely be conducted Monday, Warnock said.

Southbound I-5 near Carpenter Road was closed about 7 a.m. for the investigation, and vehicles were diverted off the freeway at Mounts Road. One lane was reopened by 9:30 a.m., but the state Department of Transportation reported a 7-mile backup about 10:45 a.m.

At 12:30 p.m. the right lane and the right shoulder were still closed for the investigation, Bova said. All lanes were reopened at about 3:15 p.m., according to the Department of Transportation.

The man called 911 from a location near state Route 167, Bova said. Troopers located him at milepost 120 on southbound I-5 near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, she said. They stopped him near milepost 110 near Carpenter Road, where he got out of his vehicle with a knife and refused to comply with the officers’ commands, Bova said.

“Fearing for their safety, a trooper had to discharge their firearm,” she said.

Emergency officials attempted life-saving measures but the man died at the scene, Bova said.

The trooper is an 18-year veteran with the Washington State Patrol, Bova said.

“He’s on administrative leave at this time,” she said.

The Thurston County Incident Investigation Team is handling the investigation.

This story was originally published July 8, 2017 at 8:50 AM with the headline "Man fatally shot by trooper on I-5 near Lacey ‘wanted suicide by cop,’ WSP says."