The Settlement over Ethan Murray’s Death
On Wednesday, March 30, “Spokane County to pay $1 million to family of mentally ill man shot and killed by deputy” written by Emma Epperly appeared on the front page of the Spokesman Review. I urge you to click that link and read.
Eleven days after Ethan Murray’s life was extinguished by five shots from Deputy Joseph Wallace’s service pistol on May 4, 2019, I wrote a post entitled “A Humane World” in which I lamented the social circumstances, the fear, and the training (or lack thereof) that led to a Sheriff’s Deputy gunning down an unarmed, mentally ill young man.
After reading Ms. Epperly’s article, mulling over the knife (dropped by another Deputy by accident? by intent?), the delayed writing of the incident report (a full month later), Spokane Prosecutor Larry Haskel’s office’s finding the “use of force” justified, and the subsequent promotion of Deputy Wallace to detective it is hard not to see a closing of ranks and wonder about a coverup. As to how it all looks, I’m inclined to agree with this statement from the article:
“A million-dollar settlement speaks louder than any denial of wrongdoing,” wrote Braden Pence, an attorney for Murray’s mother, in an email Tuesday.
To date the only good thing that may have come in part from this miscarriage is that Sheriff’s Deputies (as of this year, two and half years after Ethan was killed) now wear body cameras. Had a body camera recorded this tragic encounter, certainly there would be much less to dispute.
I expect that in the coming weeks I will be able to write something more coherent.
Keep to the high ground,
Jerry