A 60-year-old Kent man died from seven gunshot wounds after three Kent Police officers returned fire in a confrontation late last year outside the man’s home.
Darren A. Butrick died from multiple gunshot wounds with recovery of bullet fragments from the abdomen, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy report about the Nov. 4 shooting. The results of the report were released Jan. 8 by the Valley Independent Investigative Team.
All three officers have been cleared for return to full duty, according to the statement from the investigative team. The officers involved included a 38-year-old officer with 10 years of experience, a 31-year-old officer with six years of experience and a 29-year-old officer with the department since 2019.
The officers were placed on administrative leave after the shooting, as is standard procedure for any officer-involved shooting.
The Washington State Patrol Toxicology Laboratory report on Butrick is pending.
Butrick stood near the front door of his home when he fired at officers on Nov. 4 in the 13000 block of Southeast 204th Place after police responded to a domestic violence call, according to the Valley Independent Investigative Team.
None of the shots fired by Butrick, armed with a rifle, hit police vehicles that three officers used a shields before returning fire. A couple of shots did come within a few feet of officers, according to the investigative team. Nine officers responded to the incident and three returned fire with 24 shots from about 70 to 83 feet away. The exchange of gunfire took less than seven seconds. Butrick was found dead just inside the front door.
The rounds fired by Butrick that were recovered struck a pickup truck tire, a flag, a sign and a vehicle trunk lid parked in a nearby residence driveway.
Officers learned upon arriving at the incident that a man was armed with a rifle inside the home. They took positions outside and were able to get the other occupants from within the residence out safely. While officers waited for the SWAT team to respond, Butrick fired multiple shots at officers.
Butrick lived at the home with his wife and other relatives. No other individuals were hurt and no officers were injured as a result of the shooting.
The Valley Independent Investigative Team is a multi-agency team of investigators from seven South King County police departments (Auburn, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, Renton, Port of Seattle and Tukwila). The Kent Police Department is excluded from this investigation because they were the involved agency.
The investigative team is in contact with the family of Butrick and will keep them informed of the progress of the investigation.
Additional details regarding this incident will be released weekly to the media by the Valley Independent Investigative Team as the investigation continues. The updates are required by a new state law during police shooting investigations.
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