Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Investigation complete, attorney to make final decision
PULLMAN — The Washington State Patrol has completed its investigation into the March 27 officer-involved shooting at Washington State University’s (WSU) Global Scholars Hall, submitting the case to the Whitman County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
The incident began when 20-year-old WSU student John Bazan called police, reporting a man with a knife inside the dorm and providing a description matching himself. Officers responding to the fourth floor of Global Scholars Hall encountered Bazan, who allegedly kept his hands concealed in his sweatshirt pockets and ignored repeated commands to stop and show his hands.
According to reports, Bazan advanced toward the officers, prompting one to deploy a stun gun, which proved ineffective. Bazan reportedly made an aggressive motion to remove an object from his pocket, leading WSU Police Officer Dillon Tiedeman-Mueller to fire a single shot, which missed. Another officer then deployed a Taser, successfully subduing Bazan.
Bazan was taken into custody on several charges, later dropped by Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy to facilitate uninterrupted mental health treatment. Authorities described the incident as an apparent suicide-by-cop attempt.
As mandated by state law, Officer Tiedeman-Mueller was placed on administrative leave while the Washington State Patrol conducted an independent investigation under guidelines established by Initiative 940 and Substitute House Bill 1064, which require external reviews of deadly force incidents involving peace officers.
WSU Police Assistant Chief Dawn Daniels stated that Tiedeman-Mueller returned to duty shortly after the department completed its administrative review.
Tracy and Daniels are expected to announce their findings on the incident and any potential procedural or legal violations in the coming weeks.
Olivia Harnack is a Journalist at the Whitman County Gazette. Olivia is enrolled at University of Idaho and is majoring in digital film studies. She serves in the United States Army National Guard and is proud to serve Whitman County.
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