Man shot by Thurston County deputy appears in court after release from hospital
A 68-year-old Thurston County man accused of aiming a gun at a deputy on June 4 is being held in the Thurston County jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Joseph Paul Kochanowski attended his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court Wednesday. Deputies booked him into the jail on suspicion of first-degree assault on Tuesday — five days after a deputy shot him on his property in the Yelm area.
Kochanowski suffered multiple gunshot wounds but survived. He was released from an area hospital on Tuesday and booked into the jail.
Judge Allyson Zipp found probable cause for first-degree assault while armed with a firearm and set Kochanowski’s bail Wednesday. She also ordered him to undergo GPS monitoring if he’s released and barred him from contacting the deputy who shot him.
Kochanowski has not been charged as of Thursday morning. Prosecutors have until 5 p.m. Friday to charge him or else he will be released without conditions. His arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 16, court records show.
The deputy shot Kochanowski just after 9 a.m. June 4 at a property on 149th Lane Southeast, which is southeast of Yelm and northeast of Lake Lawrence. The deputy responded to the property to help the Southeast Thurston Fire Authority with a trailer fire. Sheriff Derek Sanders previously alleged to The Olympian that the property is a “drug compound” with a history of prior criminal incidents.
The Region 3 Critical Incident Investigation Team is investigating the shooting. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation with help from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office, and Washington State Patrol, according to a Wednesday update from the team.
Thurston County property records indicate Kochanowski owns the land where the trailer fire and shooting occurred. Kochanowski has no prior criminal convictions or active court orders that would prohibit him from possessing firearms, according to court records.
Michael Stewart, a private defense attorney, represented Kochanowski at Wednesday’s hearing. The Olympian has asked Stewart to comment.
The deputy who shot Kochanowski was unharmed and has been placed on administrative leave, per standard protocol, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office previously shared in a news release.
Just before the shooting, Kochanowski attempted to put out the trailer fire with a garden hose, according to court records and body camera footage released by the Sheriff’s Office. The deputy approached Kochanowski from many yards away and repeatedly asked him to step away from the blaze so firefighters could extinguish it.
In the video, Kochanowski refused and said “code enforcement wants to kill me.” At one point, Kochanowski rushed at the deputy, who then commanded him to stop. Kochanowski stopped and returned to spraying water on the fire.
The deputy asked him to step away again and threatened to handcuff him if he did not comply. Kochanowski dropped the hose, walked toward a nearby vehicle and produced an item, the video shows.
Court records allege Kochanowski drew a silver-colored revolver with his right hand and pointed it at the deputy. The deputy reportedly drew his own firearm and shot Kochanowski several times, striking his leg, hip and upper right arm, the court records said.
Kochanowski did not fire his revolver, according to the court records.
The deputy commanded Kochanowski to the ground, and he complied, per the video. The deputy then waited to arrest Kochanowski until backup arrived.
A Yelm police officer arrived minutes later and helped the deputy disarm and handcuff Kochanowski, according to court records. During the arrest, deputies allegedly recovered a second revolver on his left hip.
