Bodycam: Wash. Deputy Wounds Charging Armed Man at Fire Scene

Video footage shows a Thurston County sheriff’s deputy repeatedly warning an armed man to move away from a burning vehicle in Yelm before the suspect allegedly charged at the deputy.

June 8, 2026

2 min read

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A Thurston County sheriff’s deputy shot and injured a man while responding to a vehicle fire Thursday morning in Yelm after the man allegedly charged at the deputy and appeared to pull an object from his jacket.
Body camera footage shows the deputy repeatedly ordering the man away from the burning vehicle and warning him the fire department was nearby before the man yelled profanities, ran toward the deputy and later appeared to reach for something before shots were fired.
Deputies later recovered what appeared to be a firearm from the man’s hip holster after backup arrived. The man’s injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, and the deputy was placed on administrative leave pending an independent investigation.

By Lauren Girgis

Source The Seattle Times

A Thurston County sheriff's deputy shot and injured a man when responding to a car fire in Yelm, according to deputies.

A lone deputy responded to a car fire call around 9 a.m. Thursday at a property flagged" for "prior violent criminal activity," according to a news release from the sheriff's office. Firefighters did not respond alone to the fire due to that, the news release said.

The deputy arrived and told a man to step away from the car on fire, before the man allegedly charged at the deputy, the news release says. Body camera footage released by the sheriff's office shows the deputy tell the man, whom he addresses by name, that the Fire Department is there and he needs to step away from the fire.

"I don't want you to get hurt," the deputy says. "I don't give a (expletive)," the man responds. "I'm going to be dead anyway."

The man runs at the deputy before running back toward the fire, and the deputy calls for backup. He continues commanding the man to move away, before the man screams "Go to (expletive) hell" and appears to pull something from his jacket. The deputy fires several shots.

The man's injuries are believed to not be life-threatening, the release says. After the deputy fired shots, the man laid on the ground and said "I'm sorry. Moments later, he tells the deputy to kill him.

The deputy radios to dispatch that he needs a union representative to respond.

After backup deputies arrive, the man is detained and the officer removes what appears to be a firearm from a hip holster, the footage shows.

The man was taken to the hospital, and nobody else was injured.

The deputy was placed on administrative leave pending completion of an independent investigation, according to the news release.

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