Washington State Patrol completes investigation into fatal Pullman shooting last year

PULLMAN — The Washington State Patrol (WSP) completed the Palouse Area Law Enforcement Critical Incident Investigation Response Team (PALECIIRT) investigation into the officer-involved shooting on Dec. 15, 2022, at 100 Southeast Latah Street.

WSP reports that the case has been delivered to the Whitman County Prosecutor’s Office for review.

Reports say Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy said he hopes to announce that it was a justifiable use of force or if charges will be filed this fall.

According to reports, Pullman Police responded to Brett Kopacka, 36, who was shot and killed by Washington State University Police Sergeant Brett Boyd when police responded to Kopacka threatening to kill his roommates at their apartment on Dec. 14, 2022.

Reports say the Whitman County SWAT Team and Pullman officers were on the scene to use less than lethal means to end the 7-hour standoff.

According to reports, Boyd has been a campus officer for 15 years and was promoted to corporal in 2016 and sergeant last year.

Sgt. Boyd was re-instated to full duty in January by WSU Police Chief Gary Jenkins, reports say.

According to reports, the WSUPD has a standard policy allowing officers involved in a shooting to return to duty while the incident is investigated. Sgt. Boyd returned after providing a complete statement and passed a mental health evaluation.