Woman says boyfriend was holding his hands up when deputy shot, killed him

LYNNWOOD, Wash. — A Lynnwood, Washington, woman said she was sitting in a truck next to her boyfriend when he was shot by a Snohomish County sheriff's deputy.

Britt Jacobsen told KIRO-TV about the night Nick Peters was killed near Bothell.

On Oct. 23, she says Peters refused to stop when a deputy tried to pull him over. She says Peters drove off with her in the passenger seat. She said Peters knew she didn't want him to try to get away. A deputy tried the pursuit intervention technique, or PIT maneuver, and eventually, two deputies pinned in the truck so it couldn't move.

Jacobsen says a deputy stood on the hood of the F-150 truck and shined a light in on them. According to the search warrant, another deputy stood on the passenger side.

She says the deputies ordered them to put their hands up and get out of the car. She says she and Peters put their hands up. She says she watched the deputy shoot Peters. Next, she says she was dragged out of the car by her hair, forced to the ground and stomped on. Peters was rushed to Harborview Medical Center, where he died.

"He wasn't a threat; we both weren't a threat," said Jacobsen. "I just cannot believe they took him away."

KIRO obtained a search warrant that says Peters refused to show his right hand before the deputy fired. It also revealed a loaded pistol was found in a pouch under the center console and drugs were found in the truck, and in Peters' system.

Attorney Jeff Campiche is investigating the shooting and deciding whether to file a civil suit against the deputy and the department. He says Peters was not holding a weapon at the time he was killed and the truck was stopped. He says there was no reason to use deadly force. Instead, he said Peters should have been arrested.

"There wasn't a confrontation that justified deadly force," said attorney Jeff Campiche, "He had no weapon in his hand."

Jacobsen is the daughter of a retired Seattle police officer. Ken Jacobsen doesn't understand why a deputy would climb on the hood of the truck, making himself vulnerable.

"They should have taken protection for themselves and they ordered the suspects, or two subjects, out of the car and nobody would have been hurt," said Ken Jacobsen.

KIRO contacted Officer Aaron Snell with the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team, he said the shooting is still under investigation.

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