Prosecutors in Lewis County say fatal shooting by deputies was lawful

Prosecutors in Lewis County say the shooting death of a Pierce County man by sheriff’s deputies earlier this month was lawful.

The shooting happened in the early hours of March 3 in Glenoma. The Lewis County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Robert D. Richardson, 40, of Graham. He died at the scene of multiple gunshot wounds.

The case was investigated by Thurston, Mason and Grays Harbor counties law enforcement officers.

On Tuesday, the Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said it had reviewed materials from that investigation and determined no criminal charges against the deputies should be filed.

According to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy and reserve deputy were on patrol when they came across Richardson in a vehicle on Rainey Creek Road. After checking his driving status, they learned he had a felony warrant in Pierce County.

When deputies asked Richardson to step out of the vehicle, he allegedly pointed a weapon at them and that’s when they shot him.

This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 4:30 PM.