WSP wraps up officer-involved shooting probe in Pullman, pushes case forward

The Washington State Patrol has completed its investigation into an officer-involved fatal shooting in Pullman last year.

The agency’s findings have been passed on to the Whitman County Prosecutor’s Office for further review. Prosecutor Denis Tracy said he hopes to announce a decision by this fall whether justifiable force was used or if charges will be filed.

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

Pullman police responded to 36-year-old Brett Kopacka, who 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 7-hour standoff.

Kopacka discharged a weapon in his apartment, and was fatally shot by a SWAT team member, identified as Washington State University Police Sergeant Brett Boyd, according to past reporting.

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

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 led the investigation. Washington state law requires any investigation must be completed by an independent agency when an officer uses deadly force.

Sgt. 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