Panel Response to Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting
On Dec. 17, 2023, officers responded to a call of a woman with a gun. Officers attempted less-than-lethal responses multiple times. Officers 1 and 2 eventually deployed firearms at the woman, which caused her death. A community member alleged that officers shot her in the back, which was not consistent with the autopsy report of front-to-back path bullet trajectories. BPD agreed with the Panel’s recommendation that the alleged Use of Force allegations were unfounded.
Continued training and encouragement of the goal, “Everyone gets home safely, including officers, community members and suspects,” as a foundational tenant of public safety.
Emphasize, reinforce and prioritize ICAT and de-escalation expectations beyond training by including these metrics in BPD performance evaluations. Take opportunities to recognize, celebrate and reward officers for exceptional de-escalations.
BPD Chief Redfearn Response:
The POP recommended ongoing training encouraging a goal that “everyone goes home safe, including suspects.” I agree with this goal, and this is an internal message that we have been stressing to our officers. In this case, I do believe that the officers took multiple steps to resolve this incident without lethal forces, aligned with this goal.
The agency will continue to prioritize ICAT as recommended by the POP and stress de-escalation as a priority when appropriate and feasible. I also concur with the POP that when officers use “exceptional de-escalation that they are recognized. In our award ceremony in March, we recognized at least one incident where officers used de-escalation as part of tactics to resolve an incident where a woman was armed and suicidal. We will continue to recognize such work.
