Man accused of shooting a Pasco officer was ready to fire at a deputy too, says report

Cameron Probert
·4 min read
16

Investigators say the man accused of shooting a Pasco police officer was aiming his gun at a sheriff’s deputy when he was shot.

David Ramos Galvez, 37, of Pasco, had already allegedly wounded the Pasco officer and led Franklin County deputies on a short chase before the violent confrontation at the corner of Argent Road and Road 64 on March 24.

A video shows Galvez pointing a gun at the Benton County sheriff’s deputy in Pasco before the deputy opened fire, according to a Regional Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report released on Friday.

Investigators from the the Regional Special Investigations Unit document the officer involved shooting scene on March 24 on Argent Road at Road 64 in Pasco. A Benton County Sheriff deputy was involved in a shooting of the suspect that earlier shot and wounded a Pasco police officer at a gas station of West Court Street, according to a police press release.

Investigation

The special investigations report a week after the confrontation offered its first look into shootings that landed the Pasco officer and his accused assailant in the hospital.

While investigators released the name of the suspect and the officer who was shot, the Benton County deputy’s name was not released on Friday.

Richland police Commander Damon Jansen said they are not releasing the deputy’s name at this time.

The entire encounter lasted about 10 minutes, and started just before 6 a.m. March 24 with a call about a reckless driver who stopped at the Circle K convenience store, 3109 W. Court St.

Officer Phil Hanks pulled in front of Galvez’s BMW in the parking lot to stop it from leaving because he had reportedly been driving recklessly.

Hanks got out of his car and started walking toward the driver’s side of the BMW when Galvez allegedly began firing through the closed driver’s door, according to the SIU release.

David Ramos Galvez
David Ramos Galvez

One of the shots hit Hanks in the arm, and he fell to the ground. He crawled to his car to get to safety. As he reported to emergency dispatchers that he was shot, Galvez drove away.

Witnesses at the gas station rushed to help the injured officer and called 911.

Hanks was treated at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland and was taken home the same day.

Chase and shooting

After hearing that Hanks was shot, officers from across the region began searching the area.

A Franklin County sheriff’s sergeant spotted the white BMW on Riverhaven Drive, according to dispatch reports.

The sergeant was joined by another deputy and they attempted to stop the car, but Galvez continued driving. Since he was suspected of committing a violent crime, Washington state laws allowed the deputies to start pursuing him.

He led the deputies on a five-minute chase through the city that reached speeds of about 65 mph on Court Street.

As he heading north on Road 64, two Benton County deputies were preparing to lay down a spike strip at the intersection with Argent Road to puncture his tires.

One of the deputies deployed the strip as the Galvez approached the intersection.

It’s unclear whether the car hit the strip, but he slowed down when he came into the intersection.

The SIU release said Galvez turned toward the second Benton County deputy and stopped his car.

Several body-worn cameras and patrol car dash cameras showed Galvez was pointing a gun at one deputy before the deputy responded by firing several times, according to the report.

The video has yet to be released to the public.

Police did not say how many times Galvez was hit, but officers approached the car. And when they opened the car door, Galvez was still holding the handgun and had another gun on his gap, said the report.

The report does not say what happened next but says officers provided first aid before he was taken to an area hospital.

Galvez’s condition and location remains unclear.

The release said he is in custody on suspicion of two counts of first-degree attempted murder, unlawful possession of a gun, possession of a stolen firearm and attempting to elude police.

Franklin County jail records show he has not been booked into the jail.

Galvez has a lengthy criminal history, with multiple charges for assaulting or obstructing law enforcement officers in Franklin County, show court records.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Sgt. Steve Warren with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at swarren@franklincountywa.gov or Richland Police Department Sgt. John Raby at jraby@ci.richland.wa.us or 509-942-7713.