New Details In Renton Police Shooting Released

RENTON, WA — The deadly Renton police shooting on Saturday night in the downtown area began after officers responded to reports of drug activity, according to new information released by the department on Wednesday.

According to police, officers responded to the Cheers Bar and Grill just before 10:30 p.m. on a report of drugs being used in a car outside the bar. Instead, police found Mantry Norris, 20, pacing back and forth outside.

As the officer approached, Norris went inside the bar. One of the officers apparently heard Norris yell something about killing people. Inside, Norris pulled out a knife, and then ran up to a 59-year-old man. Norris stabbed the man's arm, police said, and that's when an officer opened fire.

Norris, a Renton resident, had no criminal record, police said. The officer who shot him is a 13-year member of the department and serves on the SWAT team. The Valley Investigation Agency, comprised of the Tukwila, Auburn, Kent, Federal Way, Des Moines, and Renton departments, is investigating the shooting — however, Renton police are not involved.

The 59-year-old man who was stabbed is expected to recover, police said.

This is the first shooting involving a Renton officer since 2010. In that incident, an officer shot a 24-year-old man in the back, but the person survived. The shooting happened in the backyard of the man's Kennydale-area home.