Police & Courts For first time, WA agency calls for new investigation of a fatal shooting by police
A criminal investigation into the fatal 2013 police shooting of an unarmed Black man in Fife will be reopened under Washington’s new review process for cases where law enforcement has used lethal force.
This is the first such case the state’s nascent Office of Independent Investigations has sent to prosecutors to take another look at.
In May 2013, Leonard Thomas’ mother called 911 after they got into a dispute over his four-year-old son, according to court documents. When police arrived, Thomas, 30, holed up inside his house with his son and refused to leave.
A lengthy standoff ensued with a SWAT team. He repeatedly told police to leave. Authorities told Thomas to let his son go. He refused, saying the boy was in no danger.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/07/21/for-first-time-wa-agency-calls-for-new-investigation-of-a-fatal-shooting-by-police/