The Richland Police Department has released new details about a fatal shooting during a multi-agency warrant operation in Pasco, Washington, identifying the detective who used deadly force and confirming he has been placed on administrative leave. The department said members of its Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (SER-ICAC) Task Force, K-9 Unit, Street Crimes Unit and Criminal Investigations Division assisted with the operation involving Christopher Hall Derrick, 47, a Pasco resident connected to a federal investigation.
Source: Richland Police Department statement, reported by KEYW
According to the department, during the service of arrest and search warrants related to federal charges of receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material, K-9 Unit and Street Crimes Unit detectives stopped Derrick's vehicle near Road 103 and Argent Road on October 21. Derrick was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was shot after producing a weapon from inside the vehicle, the department said. Those federal charges were allegations set out in an indictment; they were not a conviction.
Detective named, autopsy done
The RPD Street Crimes Unit detective who used deadly force was identified as Ukiah Petersen, and the department placed him on administrative leave, the statement said. The Spokane County Coroner's Office completed an autopsy on October 22 to determine the cause of Derrick's death, and the investigation is ongoing, the department said.
Pasco Police Lieutenant Tom Groom told local reporters the stop was initiated at about 5:52 a.m. on October 21, medics took Derrick to a hospital where he died of his injuries, and no one else was involved. As required by state law, the Special Investigations Unit has taken over the scene to conduct an independent investigation, Groom said, and Richland's communications specialist confirmed the detective's routine administrative leave and that the department will cooperate with both the independent investigation and the separate federal task force investigation.
Source: Tri-City area reporting (TriYak News) quoting Pasco Police Lt. Tom Groom
The sequence above is the account given by the Richland and Pasco police departments. The independent Special Investigations Unit inquiry is still under way, and the federal charges against Derrick were allegations that were never tried.