Prosecutor: Deputies justified in shooting, killing man who shot at them last June

May 3—Spokane County Deputies were justified in shooting and killing Bjorn Manycolors , who fired a gun at deputies when they were trying to arrest him last June, Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell ruled Friday.

Manycolors, 30, was approached by Deputies Brent Miller and Matt Peterson late on the evening of June 3, 2023, as they were looking for Asher Sorenson, who had an active warrant, according to a news release from the prosecutor's office.

The deputies were patrolling near the Rodeway Inn, 6309 E. Broadway Ave, where Sorenson was known to hangout.

Just after midnight, the deputies spotted Manycolors, who they said looks like Sorenson.

Manycolors was walking southbound with the direction of traffic, which violates traffic laws.

Deputies stopped Manycolors, who refused to identify himself. The deputies attempted to arrest Manycolors, who then fired two rounds at deputies, missing them.

He then fled southbound on Dryer Road, firing two more shots, according to the news release. Deputies returned fire, killing Manycolors.

A .38 caliber revolver was found near Manycolors' body. The incident was largely captured on the deputies' body cameras and surveillance cameras.

That footage has not been released publicly.

A subsequent investigation found that Manycolors had two warrants for his arrest.

Haskell found that the deputies were in fear for their lives and fired in self-defense.

Miller was hired by the sheriff's office in 2014 after serving as a reserve deputy starting in 2013, according to a sheriff's office news release. Miller previously shot and killed a 25-year-old man following a January 2020 chase through a residential neighborhood. The Spokane County Prosecutor's Office did not seek criminal charges in that shooting, ruling it justified. This was the first time Peterson, who has worked for the department since 2017, has fired his weapon on duty, according to Spokesman-Review records.

Manycolors' family described him as kind, loving and always willing to help others while speaking at a vigil following his death.

His mother, Cynthia Manycolors, said Friday it has been difficult losing her son.

"We're pretty devastated by the whole thing," she said. "We lost our family member."

She went on to criticize the deputies for stopping her son when "he wasn't doing anything wrong" walking down the road.

"Every human being walking down the street not doing anything wrong should be able to walk down the street without somebody stopping them," Manycolors said. "It's not the kind of city that we want to live in where you can be stopped and something bad can happen."

Manycolors declined to address whether her son had shot at police.

"It is easy for someone to make something sound different than it is," she said.

She was upset with the prosecutor's decision Friday.

"It has been traumatic to have to know that this happened," Manycolors said.