Kent man shot while stabbing estranged girlfriend
Two Putnam County sheriff’s deputies were “objectively reasonable” when they shot and killed a Kent man in January as he stabbed his estranged girlfriend, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.
Under state law, all fatalities involving police officers are investigated by the AG’s office. Its report, issued Sept. 15, concluded that Deputy Shane Haley and Senior Investigator Randel Hill rightfully believed that shooting Christopher Torres, 34, was necessary to save the woman.
The victim, who had a restraining order against Torres, suffered 11 stab wounds. The report drew on interviews and footage from police body-worn and dashboard cameras, as well as a Ring camera at the woman’s home.
Torres, who was pronounced dead at the scene, kidnapped the woman from a home in Southeast and drove to a deserted construction site, said the report. Hill, responding to a 911 call from the victim’s mother, spotted Torres’ vehicle 34 minutes later and requested backup. When Torres ignored the deputies’ commands to stop attacking the woman, they fired, striking him three times.
