Prosecutor: Force was justifiable in Pullman fatal shooting

The Whitman County Prosecutor’s Office has determined that justifiable force was used in an officer-involved fatal shooting in Pullman last December.

Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy announced his findings Wednesday after he reviewed the Washington State Patrol’s investigation into the incident. No charges will be filed, according to Tracy’s written ruling.

The investigation was initiated last winter after a standoff turned lethal.

Pullman police responded to a report that 36-year-old Brett Kopacka was threatening to kill his roommates at their apartment on Dec. 14, 2022, according to past reporting.

Officers tried speaking to Kopacka, but he barricaded himself in his apartment. Pullman police crisis negotiators and the Whitman County Regional SWAT team responded in an attempt to negotiate and end the seven-hour standoff.

Kopacka discharged a weapon in his apartment, and was fatally shot by a SWAT team member, later identified as Washington State University Police Sgt. Brett Boyd.

Kopacka was pronounced dead at the scene by the SWAT team after it had cleared the complex. No officers were injured.

Boyd’s actions were deemed lawful and appropriate under the Washington state law that governs the use of deadly force by a police officer, according to Tracy’s document. Under the circumstances of the situation, Boyd “had a good faith belief” that the use of lethal force was necessary to prevent death or serious physical harm to other officers and civilians.

Tracy’s ruling mentions that Boyd was aware of a Washington State University dormitory that was in the line of fire from Kopacka’s position, and was also aware that de-escalation attempts and pepper gas had failed to end the standoff. Kopacka actions “were escalating,” with him firing shots in the air, at police vehicles, at officers’ positions and in the direction of the dorm, according to Tracy’s report.

“Sgt. Boyd’s actions were objectively necessary and in good faith,” Tracy wrote. “In short, Sgt. Boyd clearly did the right thing for the right reasons.”

The SWAT team includes officers from the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, Pullman Police Department and WSU Police Department.

WSP and the Palouse Area Law Enforcement Critical Incident Investigation Response Team (PALECIIRT) led the investigation. Washington state law requires any investigation must be completed by an independent agency when an officer uses deadly force.

Boyd has been an officer at the WSUPD since 2008, and was promoted to corporal in 2016 and then sergeant in 2022. He’s been a member of the SWAT team since 2012, and also is a field-train officer, certified patrol tactics instructor and a certified firearms instructor for handguns, rifles and shotguns.

WSUPD follows a process for officers involved in shootings. Its policy allows for officers involved in a shooting to return to duty while the incident is being investigated.

Boyd was placed on temporary paid administrative leave after the incident, and was reinstated to full duty in January after providing a complete statement and passing a mental health evaluation.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com