The Kent Police officers involved in the vehicle pursuit and shooting death of Giovonn Joseph-McDade have returned to duty, according to a Kent Police media release.
The officers involved in this incident have completed the review process, and have been cleared by an independent professional to return to duty, according to the press release. Police Chief Ken Thomas anticipates releasing the names of the involved officers in the near future.
Kent Police had placed the officers on paid administrative leave after an officer shot and killed Joseph-McDade, 20, of Auburn, on June 24. He died from multiple gunshot wounds after he reportedly tried to use his vehicle to run over an officer after a short vehicle pursuit on the East Hill.
Thomas and other Kent representatives met for two hours Thursday with the family of Joseph-McDade after the family’s press conference outside of the police station demanding more answers about the shooting, including the names of the officers and that they not be paid during the investigation.
Thomas, who had tried to reach out to the family previously, said he was thankful for the opportunity to clarify some of the misunderstandings surrounding this incident, according to the media release.
The Joseph-McDade family had asked at the press conference that the King County Sheriff’s Office take over the investigation, led by the Des Moines Police. Kent Police disagreed with that request.
The investigation into this matter will continue to be conducted by the Valley Investigation Team, which is a joint team of outside, non-Kent investigators, according to the press release.
Once the investigation has been concluded, it will be sent to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review, and in accordance with county policies, an inquest will be conducted.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Joseph-McDade family indicated it will submit to the Kent Police Department a revised request for additional information. The family submitted a long list of requests on Thursday during the press conference. The Police Department will review the updated request, and after consulting with the King County prosecutor, anticipates providing additional information in the near future.
The Joseph-McDade family has not yet responded to a request from the Kent Reporter for comment about the meeting with Thomas and their new request list.
The two officers involved in the case submitted their reports about the shooting to the Des Moines Police as part of its investigation. The Kent Reporter requested those reports and received the following response from Des Moines Police Assistant Chief Bob Bohl.
“We have received the officers statements but since it is still an active investigation we cannot release that information,” Bohl said in an email. “I would suggest you make a formal public disclosure request and when it is available it can be released to you.”
The Kent Reporter filed the public disclosure request. The city of Des Moines responded:
“Please allow the City of Des Moines until Aug. 31, 2017 to complete the pending investigation, and respond. If we are able to complete the request sooner we will.”
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
