Man killed by SWAT team died of single shot to head

The 30-year-old man fatally shot by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team on Sunday night died of a single gunshot wound to the head, according to the Thurston County Coroner’s Office. An autopsy was performed on Tuesday morning.

Coroner Gary Warnock said the man’s legal name was Feagaiga Tausaga Leiataua, but he also was known as Nephi Leiataua.

A SWAT marksman killed Leiataua Sunday after a three-hour standoff at a home in the 8400 block of 49th Loop Southeast, south of Long Lake near Lacey. Deputies initially responded to a report of a 27-year-old victim with multiple stab wounds. The victim told deputies he had been stabbed by his cousin, Leiataua.

The 27-year-old cousin is in stable condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, said Lt. Cliff Ziesemer of the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

After deputies arrived at the home Leiataua retreated to a bedroom, where he threatened to cut his 3-year-old daughter’s throat and used her as a shield from deputies. At 8:35 p.m., Leiataua was shot and pronounced dead at the scene.

The child, who was not physically injured, was examined by medics and released to her mother, the Sheriff’s Office reports. Both Leiataua and his daughter had been living with the cousin at the 49th Loop home since October.

This story was originally published December 15, 2015 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Man killed by SWAT team died of single shot to head."