BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — The Whatcom County sheriff’s office says a deputy was justified in fatally shooting a man who struck another deputy in the head with a hammer in February 2011 at a home near Lynden.
The Bellingham Herald reports (http://is.gd/GfCz3M) the sheriff’s review follows a report from the Washington State Patrol, county medical examiner and prosecutor who also found the shooting of 30-year-old Alejandro P. Martinez was lawful.
Officers had responded to a report of a man with mental health issues damaging the home. An attempt to use a Taser failed.
The deputy who was hit with the hammer was not seriously injured.
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Information from: The Bellingham Herald, http://www.bellinghamherald.com