Police ID Officers Who Killed Man At Terrace Apartments

LAKEWOOD, WA - Lakewood police this week identified the three officers involved in the fatal shooting this past weekend. All three officers remain on paid administrative leave.

According to LPD Lt. Chris Lawler, officers Jason Catlett, John Babcock, and Jonathon Beard fired the shots that killed a Lakewood man in his apartment at the Terrace just before 3:30 a.m. Jan. 13. The investigation so-far has revealed the man killed was also the same individual who — for reasons still unclear — called 911 to report an unknown person was in his apartment with a knife, prompting the police response.

The shooting took place in the 6400-block of 88th Street Court Southwest.

The unidentified 43-year-old who was killed first told 911 dispatchers a black man wearing a white shirt and blue jeans was in his apartment with a knife, adding that his father and brother were also present but unaware of the supposedly dangerous situation.

As officers headed toward the Terrace Apartments, the 911 caller told dispatchers the unknown black man in his apartment now had a gun as well, noting the supposed assailant was standing in the apartment's front doorway.

When officers arrived, a man with a knife charged the officers who responded by opening fire around just after 3:30 a.m. The man died at the scene, Lawler said.

Afterward, officers determined the man who was shot and the man who called 911 were the same person; the 911 caller literally described himself to dispatchers, Lawler said. No other people were present in the apartment.

Officers Catlett and Babcock both have more than 10 years experience each in law enforcement, Lawler said. Both officers joined the LPD in 2018. Officer Beard has just more than two years experience, all of which he's gotten in Lakewood.

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