The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Sean J Bergstrasser, 21, in a room at Benny’s Motel in Colville was completed and delivered to my office about two weeks ago. Mr. Bergstrasser was shot by officer Dan Spring of the Colville Police Department during his investigation into the theft of a firearm from the motel owner’s vehicle. The investigation into the shooting was conducted by the Spokane Investigative Regional Response Team. This team is made up of detectives from several agencies who respond when there is an officer involved shooting. The investigations are very thorough and carefully done. When the facts are all compiled, the reports are sent to the Prosecuting Attorney for analysis and consideration as to whether or not charges should be filed.

In this case, Officer Spring was in a small room with the suspect and the motel owner. When a backpack was emptied onto the bed by the suspect, a pistol fell out. Mr. Bergstrasser refused to step back from the bed and picked up the pistol. He was bringing it up to bear on the officer when the officer fired. The weapon was the stolen firearm. It was fully loaded and cocked when recovered. The motel owner was a witness to the entire incident. I made the judgment that the officer acted reasonably to protect himself and the motel owner from this threat and his use of deadly force was justified. There will be no charges filed against Officer Spring.

Charges were filed last week against three people who are alleged to have been involved in the killing of three moose. The moose (one of which was a pregnant female and the other two yearlings) were killed at the same time in the same area by three persons using one rifle. The charges are felonies and a $4000 civil penalty for each animal attaches upon conviction. There also are pending gross misdemeanor charges for certain aspects of the situation. Over 600 lbs of meat was seized in the investigation. The meat was delivered to a food bank which is a common practice in wildlife cases when fresh meat is seized. The persons charged will make a first appearance in court soon.

These are hard times for many people, and there are game animals around which can easily be killed, but the killing of large rare animals like moose is more serious than the taking of a deer for food. These animals, while not endangered, are an important part of the wildlife heritage of this area and killing of them must be carefully regulated to protect their very existence.