Pierce County Sheriff’s Department Settle’s Shooting Lawsuit

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) – The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office has agreed to pay $1.25 million to a man who was shot in the knee by a deputy during a SWAT team raid.

Jerad Wooten sued after being shot in January 2018 while he sat outside a friend’s house smoking a cigarette.

Wooten’s knee cap was fragmented.

The deputy who shot him said Wooten was holding a razor blade, but investigators did not find Wooten’s fingerprints on a razor blade found in the area.

The sheriff’s department’s Board of Professional Standards ruled in November 2018 that the shooting was “not reasonable” based on Wooten’s actions.

The deputy resigned from the SWAT team.