SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Prosecutors have found a Washington state police officer justified in his use of force against a machete-wielding man who was shot with a rifle outside a bar in Spokane.
The Spokesman-Review reports (https://bit.ly/2qaCdin) the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office cleared Officer Scott Lesser of wrongdoing Monday in connection with the May 2016 shooting.
Officers had found Charlston Harper outside a bar after reports that he was brandishing a machete and threatening people.
They used a Taser to subdue him but were unsuccessful.
Police say Harper was shot after he failed to comply with orders not to enter a staircase that provided access to apartments.
Harper remains jailed on harassment and armed burglary charges.
Harper told the newspaper he has been diagnosed with bipolar-type schizoaffective disorder and that he should’ve been sent to a mental hospital for treatment.
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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, https://www.spokesman.com
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