The investigation of an officer-involved shooting in North Bend by an independent body has concluded and has been submitted to the King County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
The King County Independent Force Investigation Team (IFIT) announced on Jan. 28 that it has concluded its investigation into Snoqualmie Police Officer James Aquirre, who fatally shot a 33-year-old homeless man — later identified by the county medical examiner as Cody Rebischke — in Torguson Park on Nov. 16.
The investigation was forwarded to the King County Prosecutor’s Office for review, IFIT said in a press release.
It is unclear exactly what evidence investigators were able to recover. On Nov. 24, IFIT spokesperson Meeghan Black told the Valley Record that investigators had recovered additional video evidence, but were unable to say what was in the video or what source it came from. Black also said investigators were trying to locate a witness who left the scene the night of the shooting.
Aquirre has been with the Snoqualmie Police for eight months and previously worked for three years at the Clarkston (WA) Police Department. He was born in Seattle and raised in Blaine, where he started his career with the Blaine Police Department in 2013. Investigators previously said he has no disciplinary record.
Cody Rebischke, who had been living in his car, was approached by Aquirre around 11:15 p.m. Nov. 16 and was asked to leave the park. When Rebischke refused, the two allegedly got into an altercation and Rebischke reached for Aquirre’s gun, according to investigators. Aquirre then regained control of the weapon and fired one round, investigators said.
The shooting was investigated by IFIT, an independent body of 13 local law enforcement agencies. The Valley Record has reached out to an IFIT spokesperson and the county prosecutor’s office for comment.