Coroner identifies Lacey man who officer shot and killed on Jan. 21
A man who a Lacey officer shot and killed during an alleged armed confrontation Jan. 21 has been identified.
Coroner Gary Warnock identified the man as Kaleb Lewis, a 30-year-old Lacey resident, on Friday. The official cause and manner of Lewis’ death is still pending a completed autopsy, he added.
A Lacey officer who serves on the Thurston County SWAT Team shot Lewis multiple times after 5 p.m. in the 4600 block of 45th Avenue Southeast in Lacey, Washington State Office of Independent Investigations spokesperson Hector Castro said on Thursday. Law enforcement alleged Lewis barricaded himself in a unit and fired shots. The Lacey officer shot Lewis after he allegedly raised his firearm toward law enforcement, Castro said.
The officer in question has been placed on paid administrative leave in accordance with standard practice for these types of incidents, Lacey police spokesperson Sgt. Derek Thompson said on Thursday.
OII will release the name of the Lacey officer in the coming days, Castro said on Thursday. The agency will eventually publish a report detailing what happened and how they investigated the shooting, he said.
That report, along with a larger investigation file, will be submitted to the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Castro said. Prosecuting Attorney Jon Tunheim will then decide whether to file charges against the Lacey officer, he said.
