SPOKANE, Wash. — The man shot and killed by Spokane police at the north Spokane Walmart on Sunday was on meth and had a stolen firearm, according to a search warrant.
The search warrant, filed in Spokane County Superior Court on Friday, show investigators believe 34-year-old Kerry Jones-Hilburg had been carrying a gun that was found near him after an officer shot him.
Investigators traced the gun to a vehicle prowl in Airway Heights in April of 2021, although it’s unclear who originally stole it.
The warrant also says an autopsy found Jones-Hilburg tested positive for methamphetamine.
Spokane Police Department officer Karl Richardson is on leave while the Spokane Independent Investigative Team looks into his use of force. The department identified Richardson as the officer who shot and killed Jones-Hilburg in a release on Thursday.
A video taken before the shooting shows Jones-Hilburg fighting with two officers before all three left the building.
The investigative team’s initial release, informed by witness testimony and other pieces of evidence, said someone yelled “gun” during the scuffle.
