PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University Police Department is releasing the name of the officer who discharged their firearm during the incident at the Coffee House Apartments in the 1000 block of SE Latah St. that started on the evening of December 14. The Whitman County Regional SWAT Team utilized verbal negotiations and less lethal tools during the more than 7-hour incident. Ultimately one Washington State University Police Department officer utilized lethal force at 3:58 a.m. The officer involved in the fatal shooting during the SWAT team standoff was WSU Police Sergeant Brett Boyd. Sgt. Boyd is currently on administrative leave, which is standard after a use of deadly force incident.
State law requires that the investigation of officer use of deadly force be completely independent of the agency whose officer was involved in the use of deadly force. The regional Palouse Area Law Enforcement Critical Incident Investigative Response Team is investigating the shooting. The team includes investigators from Asotin, Garfield, and Whitman Counties, and the Washington State Patrol (WSP), with WSP investigators taking the lead. WSU Police are not part of the investigative team but are fully cooperating with the investigation. The Whitman County Regional SWAT Team is comprised of officers from the Pullman Police Department, WSU Police Department, and the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office.
WSU PD has a process for officers involved in shootings to return to full duty. That process includes placing the officer on temporary paid administrative leave, an opportunity for the officer to provide a full statement, and an assessment from a mental health professional. The Chief can then make a determination about continued leave or return to duty. WSU PD is following this procedure to ensure the health and safety of the officer as well as our community.
Sgt. Boyd has been a WSU police officer since 2008. He was promoted to corporal in 2016, and then sergeant in 2022. He has been a member of the SWAT Team since 2012. Sgt. Boyd is a field training officer, certified patrol tactics instructor, and a certified firearms instructor for handgun, rifle, and shotgun.
Additional information previously released related to this incident can be found at www.wsp.wa.gov/press-releases/ and the City of Pullman Police Department’s Facebook page.
Media inquiries about the PALECIIRT process should be directed to Washington State Patrol Sgt. Chelsea Hodgson.
Media Contacts
- Sergeant Chelsea Hodgson, Washington State Patrol, 360-265-1332, Chelsea.Hodgson@wsp.wa.gov
