Man shot and killed by deputies had warrant, but reason for stop is unclear
Jun. 16—The man shot and killed by Spokane County Sheriff's Office deputies earlier this month had a warrant for his arrest, but the precise reason deputies contacted him before the deadly encounter is unclear, according to the Spokane Police Department.
A news release from the Spokane Independent Investigative Response (SIIR) Team, which is investigating the shooting, said two deputies, Brent Miller and Matthew Peterson, were driving a sheriff's office vehicle on June 4 in the 900 block of North Dyer Road in Spokane Valley. The deputies were searching for a person with an arrest warrant.
Cpl. Nick Briggs, spokesman for Spokane police, said the person who was shot, identified by his mother and friends as Bjorn Manycolors, had an arrest warrant. Briggs said he could not say what the warrant was regarding.
Body cameras from Miller and Peterson showed Manycolors was stopped for walking in an area without sidewalks and not walking against traffic, according to search warrant documents filed in Spokane County Superior Court.
Briggs said the exact reason for the stop will have to come out in the investigation.
Deputies contacted Manycolors walking in the area around 12:10 a.m., the release said. The deputies talked with him for over a minute before they tried to detain him.
Miller asked Manycolors, referred to as the "unknown male" in court documents, whether he had identification, and Manycolors said he did not, documents say. Miller asked Manycolors for his name, and a few seconds later, Miller "goes hands on" with Manycolors, and Peterson moved to assist, according to documents.
Manycolors had his right hand in his pocket the entire time Miller was speaking with him, court records say.
As the deputies tried to gain control of the man, Manycolors produced a concealed handgun and fired multiple times at the deputies from close range, the release said. Manycolors broke free of the deputies' grasp and started to run while firing additional rounds toward them, according to investigators.
Search warrant documents say Manycolors fired one round initially and another round as he fled. Briggs said the documents contain initial information from the scene and that a more detailed review of body camera footage and physical evidence showed Manycolors fired multiple rounds both times.
Both deputies returned fire, striking and killing Manycolors, according to the release.
Investigators found a silver revolver near Manycolors' body, documents say. They say Manycolors fell in a driveway on the 6300 block of East Mallon Avenue.
Sheriff's Sgt. Jason Hunt told investigators the unoccupied Rodeway Inn and Suites may have been struck by gunfire. Hunt said Miller may have fired three to four rounds, and Peterson may have fired five times.
Miller was hired by the sheriff's office in 2014 after serving as a reserve deputy starting in 2013, according to a sheriff's office news release. Miller previously shot and killed a 25-year-old man following a January 2020 chase through a residential neighborhood. The Spokane County Prosecutor's Office did not seek criminal charges in that shooting, ruling it justified.
Peterson has worked for the sheriff's office since 2017.
