Prosecutor: No charges for Bothell officer in fatal shooting

The Snohomish County prosecutor has declined to file charges against a Bothell police officer who shot and killed a man in 2020.

Prosecutor Adam Cornell announced the decision almost exactly two years after the officer fatally shot Juan Rene Hummel Jr., 25. Cornell wrote in a memorandum there was insufficient evidence to prove the officer committed a crime. He said a “similarly situated reasonable officer” would have also believed fatal force was necessary, the Everett Daily Herald reported.

When Washington voters approved Initiative 940 in 2018, they overhauled state law on police use of force. It meant prosecutors no longer had to prove officers acted with “evil intent” when considering criminal charges for an officer. In its place, a new “good faith” test was implemented.

Good faith is defined as “an objective standard which shall consider all the facts, circumstances, and information known to the officer at the time to determine whether a similarly situated reasonable officer would have believed that the use of deadly force was necessary to prevent death or serious physical harm to the officer or another individual.”

Hummel had a history of mental health issues, including schizophrenia, an online fundraiser created to help with funeral expenses noted. Family described him as loving, playful and selfless.

In a statement Thursday through their attorney, Braden Pence, the Hummel family said they are still processing the death.

“He is missed by his family and friends every second of every day,” the family said.

The Bothell Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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