24-year-old man fatally shot by Kent Police identified

The man fatally shot by a Kent Police officer has been identified as 24-year-old Eduar Velasquez.

Velasquez died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office Oct. 26 media report.

Prior to being fatally shot, Velasquez was filling up a gas can at a Chevron station with another man when he fled on foot.

Officers pursued Velasquez at about 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24 in the area of South 272nd Street and Military Road South when officers reported they saw Velasquez produce a knife, according to an Oct. 24 press release from the Valley Independent Investigative Team.

Shortly thereafter, shots were fired by police. Aid was provided, but Velasquez died at the scene.

Few other new details about the shooting were revealed in the initial press release from the Valley Independent Investigative Team that includes investigators from the Port of Seattle, Auburn, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, Renton and Tukwila police departments. As the involved agency, Kent investigators have been excluded from the case.

Police responded to a 911 call about a suspicious vehicle parked in a homeowner’s driveway. Two men reportedly said they were out of gas and walked to the nearby station. Police learned that the vehicle had been stolen.

The second man didn’t run and officers took him into custody without incident for a pre-existing traffic warrant, according to Kent Police.

The Valley Independent Investigative Team, led in this case by the Port of Seattle Police, did not respond to questions from the Kent Reporter about the hometown of Velasquez, how many shots were fired or what happened before an officer fired his weapon. Kent Police have not released the name of the officer or how many years he has been with the department.

Kent Police placed the officer on paid administrative leave.

The Valley Independent Investigative Team said it will eventually deliver its case to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review and determination of charges, if any. The team said it will release weekly updates about the case until the conclusion of the investigation.