Friday, May 22, 2015

Washington officer shot men accused of previous beer theft

Washington officer shot men accused of previous beer theft

Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts, center, stands with prosecutor Jon Tunheim, right, and Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Brad Watkins, left, as they wait to talk to reporters, Thursday, May 21, 2015, in Olympia, Wash. Two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from the store were shot early Thursday in Olympia by a police officer who confronted them nearby and reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard. The stepbrothers are expected to survive. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
A pedestrian crosses Cooper Pt. Rd., Thursday, May 21, 2015, in Olympia, Wash. Further up the road, two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a store were shot early Thursday in Olympia by a police officer who confronted them and reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard. The stepbrothers are expected to survive. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts, right, talks with civil rights advocate Nat Jackson, left, Thursday, May 21, 2015, after Roberts held a news conference in Olympia, Wash. Two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer were shot early Thursday in Olympia by a police officer who confronted and reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard. Jackson said he came down to City Hall to try and get as many facts as he could about the incident. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
A Safeway grocery store is photographed Thursday, May 21, 2015, in Olympia, Wash. Two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from the store were shot early Thursday in Olympia by a police officer who confronted them nearby and reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard. The stepbrothers are expected to survive. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Protesters, including Aaron Harris, left, hold signs outside the Olympia Police Department headquarters, Thursday, May 21, 2015, in Olympia, Wash. The demonstration came after two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer were shot early Thursday in Olympia by a police officer who confronted them and reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard. The stepbrothers are expected to survive. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Investigators comb the scene of an officer-involved shooting Thursday, May 21, 2015 in Olympia,Wash. Police in the capital of Washington state say an officer shot two men in their 20s suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store. (Steve Bloom/The Olympian via AP)
Hundreds of people protesting a police shooting gather outside of City Hall in Olympia, Wash., on Thursday, May 21, 2015. Police say that two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were unarmed when they were shot by a police officer who confronted them. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)
Protesters march down a major street in downtown Olympia, Wash., on their way to City Hall, on Thursday, May 21, 2015. Police say that two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were not armed with guns when they were shot by a police officer who confronted them. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)
Hundreds of people protesting a police shooting gather outside of City Hall in Olympia, Wash., on Thursday, May 21, 2015. Police say that two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were unarmed when they were shot by an officer who later confronted them. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)
Hundreds of people march from Woodruff Park in west Olympia, Wash., to Olympia City Hall to protest a police shooting that wounded two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store, Thursday, May 21, 2015. (Steve Bloom/The Olympian via AP)
Hundreds of people march from Woodruff Park in west Olympia, Wash., to Olympia City Hall to protest a police shooting that wounded two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store, Thursday, May 21, 2015. (Steve Bloom/The Olympian via AP)
Hundreds of people walk from Woodruff Park in west Olympia, Wash., to Olympia City Hall to protest a police shooting that wounded two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store, Thursday, May 21, 2015. (Steve Bloom/The Olympian via AP)
Protesters holdhands outside of City Hall in Olympia, Wash., on Thursday, May 21, 2015. Two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were not armed with guns when they were shot Thursday by a police officer who confronted them in Washington state’s capital city, authorities said. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)
People hold signs and listen to speakers Thursday, May 21, 2015, during a rally at a park in Olympia, Wash. Two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were shot early Thursday by a police officer after he confronted them and reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard. Both men are expected to survive. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Some 400 people march from Woodruff Park in west Olympia, Wash., to Olympia City Hall to protest a police shooting that wounded two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store, Thursday, May 21, 2015. (Steve Bloom/The Olympian via AP)
Rafael Ruiz speaks through a megaphone to a crowd gathered at a park to protest a police shooting in Olympia, Wash., on Thursday, May 21, 2015. Police say that two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were not armed with guns when they were shot by a police officer who confronted them. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)
A speaker uses a bullhorn Thursday, May 21, 2015, at a park in Olympia, Wash., in front of a poster bearing the names of Andre Thompson and Bryson Chaplin, stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer who were shot early Thursday by a police officer who reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
People gather inside and outside a fence Thursday, May 21, 2015, during a rally at a park in Olympia, Wash. Two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were shot early Thursday by a police officer after he confronted them and reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard. Both men are expected to survive. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)


OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were not armed with guns when they were shot Thursday by a police officer who confronted them in Washington state’s capital city, authorities said.

The officer reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard early Thursday before the shooting that left a 21-year-old man critically injured and a 24-year-old man in stable condition. Both were expected to survive.