Gorst, Washington
August 09, 2001
Agencies: US National Park Service (US Park Police) | Washington State Patrol
Cause of death: Shooting
Last updated: about 3 years ago
During a traffic stop, officer attempted to search passenger Rosa Hammer's backpack, to which she did not consent and which contained marijuana. They struggled over the bag and wrestled on the ground; officer warned Hammer to stop resisting. Per Officer Ron Kessler's statement, he saw a gun in the backpack and attempted to draw his own weapon, which did not fire after he pulled the trigger twice. Hammer then shot him in the hand with her gun. Officer drew his backup weapon and shot Hammer three times in the torso. She died at the scene. Witnesses included the vehicle driver and Hammer's 5-year-old daughter.