Devin Harriman
Coty Biles
In a press conference held at the Sallisaw Police Department Friday afternoon, Sallisaw Police Captain Jeff Murray revealed the identity of the two police officers involved in Thursday's deadly shooting of 27-year-old Shawn Watie of Stilwell.
Police officer Devin Harriman and Investigator Coty Biles both fired their weapons during the altercation with Watie on Thursday morning south of Sallisaw, Murray stated.
According to investigators with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) Watie allegedly came at the officers with a knife which lead to the shooting.
Murray stated that Harriman was scheduled to be off duty on Thursday but was called in to work for an officer who had left work sick. Harriman was dispatched on the call that resulted in the shooting just 29 seconds after being placed on duty. According to Murray, Harriman was dispatched straight from his home to the call and did not have time to report to the police station first which would have been normal protocol. Harriman was not wearing a bodycam at the time of the shooting because he did not have time to check in at the police station first. Bodycams are checked in and left at the station each night to be charged and to have the shift's footage downloaded, Murray said. Biles was not wearing a bodycam because detectives with the department do not wear them.
Patrol cars are not equipped with dashcams at this time.
A Sallisaw School employee notified police Thursday morning of a suspicious man walking along Highway 59 south of Sallisaw. There was concern that the man could have been the escaped inmate from Missouri that had been spotted in the area and was considered armed and dangerous.
Family members of Watie have stated that he was walking to work and that this was his normal routine.
Murray stated that Harriman has been with the Sallisaw Police Dept. for approximately three years and Biles has been with the dept. for 3-4 years but has several more years of experience with other departments.
Both officers are currently on paid administrative leave while the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Dept. and the OSBI continue their investigation.
KXMX News Staff
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why did both officers shoot at him n not hit him where he would have been taken down n not killed 'come on'
ReplyDeleteI agree ,sad took two policeman shooting him,and killing him over a knife ,if there was one,doesn't ant of there story sound right,but you can bet they'll call it justified like always
ReplyDeleteKill a guy get a paid vacation.... something wrong here ?
ReplyDeleteJust like we didn't see The camera footage of the shooting at the hospital You would think with that type of call If it was who they thought it was there were looking for on the manhunt. you think win they got there thay just would of wait for backup to get there
ReplyDeleteMaybe the caller should be held responsible for making a false report.
ReplyDeleteThere was a statement made that in a situation like that there isn't time for the officer to think, he must defend his life. Aren't they supposed to be trained to think and respond in those situations ? It doesn't take anymore time to reach for a taser than it does for a gun. I have heard several stories of people walking the streets of Sallisaw minding their own business and being stopped by the police. When did this become a crime ?
ReplyDeleteDevon Herrmann has had several complaints against him He hasn't been an officer that long I've been told hes hotheaded and very disrespectful These new officers need a lot more training It's evident that something needs to change Proper training saves life
ReplyDeleteOur prayers are with all those involved. Thank you for risking your life daily to protect our community and loved ones.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it a cop can kill someone and get paid leave???
ReplyDeleteAll cops should have to wear body cams before reporting to duty! It's too convenient to just say I didn't have time to put it on.now there is a dead man and no concrete evidence. Cops seem to bend the story to their advantage , This man walks to work everyday now wouldn't u think these cops has seen this guy at least once or twice??? I mean sallisaw is a small town...something isn't adding up..
ReplyDeleteNothing is why wasn't a deputy called that's not the Sallisaw PD's territory out there and when they got out there couldn't they tell that that was an Indian man the guy from Missouri was white. And then they get out there and where's the knife no one has said anything about how big that knife was how little that knife where is that knife I mean do they just not go out there and ask somebody questions I mean surely that guy just don't go out there the one they're confronting and just all of a sudden pull a knife on two cops he ain't that stupid with a.m. with guns I know I would I mean something is terribly wrong with this made up story because it's got to be one you can't go out there and be decent with somebody and clearly see that that's an Indian man that ain't no white man with a pyramid with an eyeball in the middle of it and say sorry dude we thought you were somebody else before you go and kI'll him.Sallisaw Police department's got some questions that need to be answered big time they just kill somebody and I better come up with some very good answers because I need some better training and some better officers because these two ain't worth a crap.
ReplyDeleteIf words are misspelled is because the person was talking on a microphone because of recent eye surgery so sorry about that their point was deputy should have been called and they want to know where the knife is at and thank Sallisaw Police department telling Indian from a white man and apparently they believe they need more training
DeleteJust think 29 seconds after that officer was called in for duty mr. Watie was killed I think everyone in this town needs to think about that! Something is very wrong with that moment.
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