On the night of March 21, 2014, in University Place, Washington, a chaotic scene unfolded that ended in the death of 25-year-old Brian McLeod, a White male and former Army soldier. The tragic events began around 11:30 p.m. when a resident of an adjoining townhome called 911 to report the sounds of a violent fight.
When a Pierce County Sheriff's deputy and a Fircrest police officer arrived at the scene, the situation escalated quickly.
They knocked on the door of the residence and were met by a man covered in blood who claimed he had been stabbed and that there was a man with a gun inside. The officers then heard the distinct sound of a shotgun being racked within the home and took cover with the injured man. Shortly after, Brian McLeod appeared at the doorway armed with a long-barreled shotgun.
According to law enforcement accounts, Deputy J. Sousley ordered McLeod to drop his weapon. When McLeod instead raised the shotgun in the direction of the officers and the other man, Deputy Sousley, fearing for their lives, fired multiple shots, striking McLeod twice in the abdomen. Medical aid was called, but McLeod was pronounced dead at the scene. Inside the residence, investigators found a significant amount of blood and other evidence of a major struggle. The investigation later revealed the initial fight was between McLeod and a friend.
Following the incident, the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office, along with the Medical Examiner's Office and the Sheriff's Department, conducted independent and concurrent investigations. The prosecutor, Mark Lindquist, ultimately concluded that the shooting was a justifiable homicide under state law, stating that Deputy Sousley was placed in a position where deadly force was necessary to protect himself and others. Consequently, no arrests were made, and Deputy Sousley was the only individual identified as being involved in the shooting. The County Medical Examiner, Dr. Thomas Clark, determined that McLeod's cause of death was gunshot wounds to the abdomen and also found that he had alcohol and marijuana in his system at the time of his death. McLeod's family questioned the necessity of the lethal force and requested an inquest into the shooting, but their request was denied.
