This news story was updated at 7:39 p.m. on Wednesday June 22, 2011
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The coroner’s office said today the man shot by a sheriff’s deputy early Monday is 33-year-old Steven V. Petersen, of Napavine.
Petersen died of a penetrating gunshot wound to the head, according to the Lewis County Coroner’s Office.
Petersen was shot during a confrontation with Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Matt McKnight in Napavine. The sheriff’s office says Petersen refused to take his hands out of his pockets and then charged McKnight.
Deputies had responded around 2 o’clock in the morning on Monday to assist Napavine police with a call about an individual with a knife trying to break into an occupied home.
The Lewis County Coroner’s Office today said they positively identified the dead man through fingerprints. Chief Deputy Coroner Dawn Harris said they did it that way because his next-of-kin, his father, lives out of state; in Missouri, she said.
Petersen’s wife just died a few weeks ago, Harris said.
His autopsy was completed yesterday.
The coroner’s office would not reveal the number of gunshot wounds they found.
The manner of death is homicide, meaning the killing of one human being by another, according to the coroner’s office. Whether it is found to be justifiable something for other agencies to decide, Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod said.
A team of outside law enforcement officers is investigating the shooting. McKnight, 27, remains on administrative leave.
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Read Monday’s news story here
That is correct. The manner of death is listed as homicide since the killing of one human being by another is classified as homicide. That is a medicolegal term. The coroner here has a tremendous amount of respect for law enforcement officers I assure you but I am following the established protocols.
It gets confusing since that is different from murder or manslaughter, etc.
I think it was suicide, not homocide. I realize its ;abeled that due to the nature, but who in their right mind would charge a cop after being told to take your hands out of pockets and no follow instructions. I think he was suicidal.. 🙁 sad..
Thanks… I was just curious as to why they labeled it as such. Now I know!
George:
Homicide is not a crime, it is the act of a human killing another human. Homicide is then broken down into-Murder-Manslaughter-Excusable Homicide, Accidental Homicide and Justifiable homicide.
So, the story is correct, he died from the hands of another human, thus homicide. It is not up to the coroner to rule justificaiton, instead that is the role of the prosecutor, or if the prosecutor doesn’t think it is justifiable, then he prosecutes.
The manner of death was “homicide”? The cop shot the guy in a self-defensive move… so I don’t get it… unless that is the way coroners label all cases of people killed by a cop (justified or not). Or maybe the coroner here just doesn’t like cops?
I’ll be waiting for the investigation to be finished….
Better yet, I’ll do the investigation:
1. Man stopped for questioning
2. Man refuses to comply with orders from cop
3. Man charges cop
4. Cop shoots man in self defense
Investigation over. Lewis County Sheriff Office, you owe me $67,500.86