A man killed last week in Hunters, Washington, by a Stevens County deputy was shot in the back of the neck as he walked away after a struggle, according to eyewitnesses.

Investigators say Jason Hale, 29, brandished a stolen handgun as he fled from deputies during the chaotic evening of Aug. 19, as wildfires burned in the area.

“The guy pulled out a gun and the deputy shot him,” Spokane police Officer Teresa Fuller said. “That’s as plain and as simple as it gets.”

Spokane police are leading the investigation as part of a regional law enforcement team. The deputy who shot Hale is Cpl. Dave Reed. Witness accounts, however, contradict the official statements from law enforcement.

“I never saw a gun be pulled; there was no fire exchange,” said Annette Herbert, a Hunters-area resident. “He did not threaten the police officer. He was walking away.”

The incident began when deputies responded to two different 911 calls on the 4900 block of Hunters-Shop Road. A temporary Red Cross shelter for fire evacuees has been set up in that block, and employees there called police after learning a man with a gun was outside.

One of the callers reported that Hale had a gun and was suicidal. Hale then threatened to shoot the caller after he tried to take Hale’s ATV keys.

A third 911 call reported shots fired prior to deputies arriving. Hale fled on foot, showing a firearm, according to police. One deputy fired and hit the suspect about 7 p.m., according to a police news release.

Herbert said she and her boyfriend, Mick Schwartz, were standing on the side of state Highway 25, outside of Schwartz’s business when they saw Hale walking down the street.

Reed pulled up alongside Hale in the area of Highway 25 and Lemon Avenue in Hunters and got out of his car. Reed then tried to restrain Hale by “bear-hugging” him, Herbert said, but Hale “twisted away” and kept walking down the road.

“He was walking out of town,” she said.

The deputy called out to Hale twice, telling him to stop or he would shoot if Hale continued walking, Herbert said. At that point, Herbert said, the deputy shot at Hale at least twice. Just a few seconds passed between the deputy’s final warning and the shooting, she said.

The Stevens County coroner reported that Hale was shot once in the left side of his neck. The bullet entered the back of his jaw.

The news release from police said that “a physical altercation ensued, the suspect pulled out a firearm and pointed it at Cpl. Reed.

“Cpl. Reed fired his weapon striking Hale just below his jaw. Life saving measures were attempted, but the suspect died from his injuries.”

Police released a black-and-white photo of a handgun recovered from the scene.

Two deputies arrived on the scene during or shortly after the shooting, Herbert said. They took witness statements from Herbert and several other bystanders. Other witnesses, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the majority of Herbert’s account.

The next day, the mother of Hale’s child put flowers on a patch of his dried blood, which is still visible on the street, Herbert said.

“He was a wonderful young man and he just had the biggest heart,” said Karin Montgomery, director of the West End Food Bank where Hale volunteered. “He didn’t always make the wisest choices in life but he was trying to do better for himself.”