YAKIMA, Wash. – Fourteen Yakima police officers, including Chief Shawn Boyle, have been placed on administrative leave following a shootout last Saturday involving a murder suspect.
The incident occurred during a pursuit through downtown Yakima Saturday, August 9th, near the ongoing Cruise the Avenue event. The chase ended when the suspect’s vehicle became undrivable. Police reported that the suspect opened fire, injuring an officer. Officers returned fire, killing the suspect. The driver of the suspect’s vehicle was arrested on multiple charges.
Captain Chad Janis has stepped in as acting chief during Chief Boyle’s leave. Captain Janis emphasized that the department remains committed to maintaining public safety despite the number of officers on leave.
“This isn’t foreign to us. We’re always staffed at the appropriate level,” Captain Janis said.
Captain Janis highlighted that the administrative leave is a routine procedure under these circumstances and does not imply wrongdoing by the officers.
“They’re not in trouble. They’re just unplugged from operational service,” he stated, explaining the purpose of the leave is to allow officers to decompress and process the events.
He assured that public safety will not be compromised.
“The level of service that we’re capable of offering in terms of public safety is the same today as it was a week ago or two weeks ago,” Janis added.
Currently, two investigations are underway: one by the Yakima Valley Special Investigations Unit and an internal administrative investigation. These investigations aim to ensure that all policies and procedures were followed during the incident.
