SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - The three Spokane police officers who shot and killed a homicide suspect this week had more than half a century of combined experience on the force.
The department identified them Friday as Sgt. John Gately, who has served 23 years; Detective Neil Gallion, a 20-year veteran; and Officer Jay Kernkamp, a SWAT medic who has been with Spokane police eight years.
The three shot 37-year-old Jeremy Arnold on Tuesday after he drove through a police barricade as officers were investigating the death of a woman inside the home. Arnold, who had a long criminal history, stepped out of a truck holding an object that police said appeared to be a firearm.
The victim, 46-year-old Tracy Fergerstrom, was stabbed.
Spokane police say two of the officers, Kernkamp and Gately, had each been involved in one prior shooting. Both of those were found to be justified.
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