PORT ANGELES — Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols has started his review of a fatal shooting involving two Port Angeles Police Department officers.
Joseph Hadden, 38, was armed with a handgun on May 3 outside Chase Bank, 101 W. Front St., by officers responding to a hold-up alarm.
Nichols, who is also the county coroner, said the case is a priority and he will be handling it himself.
Nichols said Thursday he had all of the documents he needed for his decision on whether formal charges against the officers should be filed.
These included the Kitsap Critical Incident Response Team’s completed investigative report, which his office received on Oct. 21, and the final Washington State Patrol crime laboratory report.
According to the crime lab’s ballistics report, Hadden was struck once in the left mid-back and once in the right rear shoulder by 9 mm ammunition, and once in the trachea and once in the left forearm by .45 mm ammunition.
Both were fired from Port Angeles Police Department service weapons.
The manner and cause of death and other information contained in the autopsy pathology report, such as toxicology testing results, are not publicly available because they are exempt from public records disclosure.
“We’re not releasing that at this juncture,” Nichols said. “All of the relevant information will be made available when I’ve completed my review.”
Nichols said his review would be made public so people could understand and have confidence in his decision.
He did not have a timeline for the review process, but said it will be on a fast-track for completion.
The Port Angeles Police Department is conducting its own separate administrative view of the incident.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
