Video from Poulsbo police shooting shows lead up to Stonechild Chiefstick's death

Andrew Binion | Kitsap

Show Caption Hide Caption VIDEO: Officer body camera footage from Stonechild Chiefstick shooting Edited footage from the July 3, 2019, shooting of Stonechild Chiefstick.

Poulsbo police Officer Craig Keller’s body camera fell to the ground after he grabbed Stonechild Chiefstick on July 3, but the footage from the scene provides a record of the last seconds before Keller shot and killed Chiefstick.

“Get your hand out of your pocket,” Keller ordered Chiefstick.

“Chill out, chill out,” Chiefstick says as he pulls away from Keller.

Before the confrontation, Keller’s voice can be heard on a dispatch recording asking for backup, saying a man had threatened people with a screwdriver.

Chiefstick, 39, appears to pull away from Keller, which is when the camera falls to the ground and points to the sky. Voices can be heard saying “screwdriver” and “get on the ground.” Then two shots can be heard. An analysis of the scene found that Keller was 9 feet from Chiefstick when he shot him.

Keller’s body camera footage and other footage were released Tuesday by the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office. Statements from witnesses at the waterfront have been previously released. Keller declined to make a statement to investigators.

Several people expressed gratitude for Keller’s actions. One woman told an investigator she wanted Keller to know “she really appreciated what he did and taking care of the situation.”

Many witnesses told investigators from a team made up of officers from multiple Kitsap County police agencies that they saw Chiefstick with a screwdriver or another weapon in his hand making threatening gestures toward Keller after he pulled away. A screwdriver was found at the scene.

The footage released also includes the body camera footage from about an hour before the shooting of Poulsbo Officer Michael Miulli talking to Chiefstick about complaints Miulli received about Chiefstick’s behavior.

The interaction was amicable, according to the footage, with Miulli approaching Chiefstick and asking if he wouldn’t mind stepping away to talk with other officers.

Miulli told him they had received reports of him getting in people’s faces and staring people down.

“No, I don’t do that,” Chiefstick said.

“Appreciate you guys understanding, just trying to have a good time,” Chiefstick tells the officers near the end of their interaction, where he fist bumps the officer.

Blood tests found Chiefstick had alcohol and meth in his system.

One witness, who works for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe near Sequim, wrote in an account of the incident that he didn't believe the shooting was racially motivated but questioned why non-lethal means were not used, like a Taser.

“There was no attempt whatsoever made to de-escalate the situation,” the witness wrote in a letter provided to investigators. “Instead the decision was made very quickly and without hesitation to use lethal force on the spot. Nothing else was tried. I don’t understand. I'm not clear he had to die then and there to keep everybody safe. I don't know.”

The man added in his letter: “It is impossible to ‘un-see’ these events. It will be indelibly etched on my memory for as long as I live.”

Prosecutor Chad Enright is reviewing the case to determine if Keller should face criminal charges. A separate review will be conducted by the Poulsbo Police Department to determine if Keller violated policy.