REDMOND, Wash. – A Redmond police officer who shot and killed an unarmed woman as she tried to surrender had previously washed out as a Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputy.
Daniel Mendoza was fresh out of the Navy when he was hired by Whatcom County in 2018, but he struggled with almost every aspect of police work and Sheriff Bill Elfo ultimately fired him in 2019.
The Seattle Times reports the 26-year-old was hired as a Redmond police officer weeks later.
Mendoza was among officers who responded to a 39-year-old woman’s apartment in September 2020.
She was experiencing a mental health crisis and called police for help because she believed someone was trying to kill her.
Officers said she had a gun when they first arrived but she was unarmed and laying face down with her arms outstretched when Mendoza shot her with a high powered rifle.
The shooting remains under investigation but no charges have been filed.