Kent man fatally shot by officer identified by King County Medical Examiner’s Office

The man killed in an exchange of gunfire with Kent Police on Jan. 7 died from multiple gunshot wounds to the side, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Miguel A. Barraza-Lugo, 37, of Kent, was identified by the Medical Examiner’s Office during a Thursday phone call.

A Kent officer shot Barraza-Lugo after a hit-and-run case that started in Auburn and ended in the 9500 block of Canyon Drive in Kent. Officers were able to stop the vehicle by using a pursuit intervention technique, according to a Kent Police news release.

As officers attempted to contact Barraza-Lugo, he reportedly fired at least one shot at a officer. The officer responded by firing back, according to the news release.

Officers recovered a gun at the scene, said Kent Police spokesman Jarod Kasner in an email.

Kasner declined to answer any other questions about the case, including how many shots were fired by the officer and Barraza-Lugo or what occurred during the hit-and-run in Auburn.

“We have not been provided with any other information about the investigation, due to our involvement,” he said. “The Valley Investigation Team is conducting the independent investigation and will provide us with the findings of their completed investigation. We will then be able to answer more questions.”

The Valley Investigation Team includes detectives from nearby law enforcement agencies. Police departments involved in officer shootings turn the cases over to neighboring agencies.

No officers sustained injuries. The officer involved is an eight-year veteran. As is standard procedure, the officer has been placed on administrative leave by Kent Police during the investigation.

Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla said in the news release that the suspect took deadly actions against the officer and forced him to take action to defend himself and his fellow officers.