Prosecutors will review a multi-agency team’s investigation into the officer-involved shooting of a 43-year-old man that resulted in his death in Federal Way in November 2023.
According to an email from Sharon Bogan, a spokesperson for the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, 43-year-old Franklin O. Ross died on Nov. 16 outside a residence in Federal Way as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. The medical examiner’s office identified Ross’s death as a homicide.
A news release from the Valley Independent Investigative Team on April 12 announced that the investigative team had referred the case to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review. Renton, Auburn, Federal Way, Kent, the Port of Seattle, Tukwila and Des Moines all serve as agencies with involvement in the Valley Independent Investigative Team.
Meeghan Black, a Renton Police Department public information officer responsible for overseeing media inquiries into the Valley Independent Investigative Team’s investigation into the Nov. 16, 2023, shooting, declined to comment regarding the investigation’s findings.
A previous email from Black stated the investigative team were waiting for one final test result to arrive prior to sending the case to prosecutors for review.
The Federal Way Mirror previously reported that Federal Way police officers shot the 43-year-old man while responding to a domestic violence call in the 4000 block of Southwest 337th Street. The man was identified as a resident of the address of the residence.
The man came out the front door and rushed officers with a knife, with officers firing their weapons after the man did not comply with commands, the Mirror previously reported. Police began to administer aid, with medics arriving and providing treatment.
The man was eventually pronounced deceased.
According to an email from Black, Valley Independent Investigative Team detectives do not recommend a disposition in their investigations of officer-involved shootings, with prosecutors serving as responsible for charging decisions.
Following the completion of the team’s investigation, an assigned deputy prosecutor will review the investigation and determine whether “sufficient evidence exists to file criminal charges or if the use of force appears justified,” stated Douglas Wagoner, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, in an email.
In cases where insufficient evidence exists to support criminal charges, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will refer the investigation to the King County Executive for an inquest into the death when required by executive order, Wagoner stated.
Prosecutors have no set timeline regarding release of the findings of the Valley Independent Investigative Team’s investigation into the Nov. 16, 2023, shooting, according to Wagoner.
