SEQUIM – You may remember our story from May of last year when Sequim Police Officer Daniel Martinez conducted an early morning traffic stop, not knowing that the driver was suspected of killing his mother just hours before.
After being stopped, the suspect Bret Kenney attacked Officer Martinez and the two engaged in hand to hand combat for an extended period. Three passersby assisted Martinez to end the struggle.
State laws exist to dictate that investigations of police actions involving the use of force are done impartially and objectively by using outside investigators. Community representatives are included in these investigations.
The Kitsap County Incident Response Team conducted their review along with local community representatives, and their investigation was further reviewed by the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney, Mark Nichols. His review concludes that Officer Martinez was well within his rights to defend himself.
In the meantime, the suspected killer awaits his murder trial.
But that’s not the end of the story. Daniel Anselmo, James “Mike” Blouin, and Ryan Ross received the Sequim Police Department’s Citizen Commendation award and a City of Sequim Proclamation recognizing their heroic actions in assisting Officer Martinez, and Martinez himself recently received the Sequim Police Department Purple Heart award because he sustained a serious injury to his right arm during the struggle.