Decedent ID'd in Monday's officer-involved shooting

MOSES LAKE – Authorities have identified the decedent in Monday evening’s officer-involved shooting as 33-year-old Aaron J. Ammann of Moses Lake.

Grant County sheriff’s deputies fired their service weapons at Ammann after he allegedly emerged from a small barn and pointed a rifle at them. Law enforcement and emergency medical personnel rendered aid, but Ammann sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a statement issued by the sheriff’s office.

The incident occurred at a rural location in the 4700 block of Road L.9-NE near Moses Lake. Law enforcement was initially notified around 4:30 p.m. of a male subject on the property.

Deputies and Moses Lake police both responded and searched vehicles and outbuildings in the area before the confrontation with Ammann. Five deputies fired their weapons; no Moses Lake officers did, the sheriff’s office said. No law enforcement personnel were hurt in the incident.

An autopsy supervised Tuesday by the Grant County Coroner’s Office confirmed that Ammann died from multiple gunshot wounds.

Neither the sheriff’s office or Moses Lake police are involved in an independent use-of-deadly-force inquiry by the Central Basin Investigative Team, which includes investigators from the Washington State Patrol;  Adams and Kittitas county sheriff’s offices; Ephrata, Ellensburg, and Quincy police departments; and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In addition to the CBIT investigators, the Washington State Patrol’s Crime Scene Response Team processed the incident scene. As required by state law, the investigation will be coordinated with the Washington State Office of Independent Investigations.

In a statement Tuesday evening,  CBIT information officer Capt. Cameron Clasen of the Ellensburg Police Department said the investigation will include two civilian community members who will be kept apprised of its status. CBIT has also assigned a family liaison to support Ammann’s family and explain the investigation process, said Clasen. Public updates must be issued at least weekly even if there is no new information to share, he said.

Clasen did not immediately respond to emailed requests from GCJ.news seeking additional information. Questions included whether Ammann had any connection to the property where the shooting occurred, whether he discharged the rifle he allegedly displayed, names of involved deputies, and whether they had been placed on administrative leave during the early stages of the investigation. Typically, that is standard policy for law enforcement personnel in use-of-force incidents involving death or serious injuries.

Ammann had numerous past criminal cases in Grant, Adams, and Franklin counties. In February 2022, he was sentenced in Grant County Superior Court to 19 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of burglary, theft, and criminal trespass committed in 2021. Prior convictions included drunk driving, possession of methamphetamine, and attempting to elude police.

As part of the plea agreement, following his release from prison, Ammann was supposed to complete 19 months of community custody that included abstaining from alcohol or possessing controlled substances without a valid prescription.