LSPD Officer-Involved-Shooting: Fifteen Month Investigation Concludes, Results Sent to Prosecutor for Charging Decision
James Blancocotto, 30, wanted for carjacking and assault, was shot by a 12-year veteran of the force as he tried to commandeer an LSPD cruiser. The PA will decide whether to charge the officer.
Breaking news as J425 reports that a team of detectives have completed their investigation of the Lake Stevens officer who killed a suspected carjacker last January. We’ve got the SMART documents, info on the imminent charging decision, links to previous reporting and exclusive information on what to expect from the prosecutor.
EVERETT — The investigation of a Lake Stevens Police Department officer who shot and killed a carjacking suspect in January, 2023 is over. Now a prosecutor will decide whether to clear the shooting or charge the officer with a crime.
The Snohomish Multi Agency Response Team (SMART) announced today that their investigation into the shooting has concluded some 15 months after a Lake Stevens Police Detective shot and killed a carjacking suspect inside an LSPD cruiser just east of 20th and SR-9.
J425 Exclusive: Carjacker fatally shot INSIDE COP CAR after gaining entry during scramble
Updated Jan 16 5:25 pm LAKE STEVENS — A man suspected of assault and carjacking was fatally shot by a Lake Stevens Police Department officer last Friday after gaining entrance to a marked police cruiser near SR-9 and 20th Street, according to a SMART spokesperson. SMART is the local multi-agency police-involved shooting investigatory team.
SMART Public Information Officer Nathan Fabia told J425 that the results of the investigation were provided to a Snohomish County Prosecutor for a charging decision.
No further comment is expected until the prosecutor assigned to the matter issues a clearance or a decision to pursue charges.
Download and review the SMART release below.
Next Steps: Prosecutor to Clear or Charge the Officer
Now, the officer, department and city await the charging decision of a Snohomish County prosecutor tasked with reviewing the investigation’s findings.
Typically, a prosecutor will either file charges or release a letter clearing the officer within weeks of the probe’s conclusion.
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