Pierce County Deputies Justified In Shooting Man 11 Times: Report

PIERCE COUNTY, WA -- Pierce County deputies were justified in the deadly shooting of a man who was high on meth last August, an investigation found. Officials said this week that independent and concurrent investigations show that the shooting death of Eduardo Navarrete Cordero, 35, was lawful.

The incident happened around 6:42 a.m. on Aug. 12 when deputies received a call about a dispute on 189th Street Court East. The person who called 911 said Cordero was high on meth and armed with a knife, which had been pulled on another individual at the residence.

Cordero then reportedly left the home and walked around the area, threatening those around him.

Two deputies gave Cordero several verbal commands to stop and drop the knife, but he did not comply. Cordero then lunged at a deputy who responded by firing shots. Three other deputies also fired shots, the county said.

Deputies requested medical aid but Cordero died before emergency responders arrived. Cordero had 11 gunshot wounds, two of which would have been fatal, the county said.

Investigations were conducted by the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, and the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office, which all determined the deadly shooting was justified.

“Mr. Cordero was suicidal and sadly chose to commit suicide-by-cop,” said Prosecutor Mark Lindquist in a press release. “As a community, we need to address mental health issues before the conduct escalates into self-harm or harm to others.”

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