Man fatally shot by Kitsap County deputy identified

PORT ORCHARD — The man shot and killed by a Kitsap County sheriff’s deputy was identified as David James Pruitte, 36, of Poulsbo.

The Kitsap Sun reports deputies were called at 7:23 p.m. Tuesday to the Bethel-Burley Road overpass over Highway 16 after receiving multiple reports of a man seen sitting on the exterior of the overpass, dangling his legs.

Bremerton police Lt. Aaron Elton, part of the Kitsap Critical Incident Response Team — the inter-agency group investigating the incident — said shortly after arriving at the overpass that dispatchers received a report of a shooting.

“At this point the specific details as to what happened just prior to the shooting are unknown,” Elton said Tuesday.

One deputy has been placed on administrative leave following the shooting.

Scott Wilson, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, declined to comment.

Deputies provided aid to Pruitte. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, Elton said.

Pruitte was taken to a Pierce County hospital following the shooting, where he was pronounced dead.

Kitsap County Coroner Jeff Wallis said the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office sent the case back to Kitsap to have Pruitte identified and his next of kin notified.