Ethan Austin Murray was 25 when he was shot and killed by a Spokane County deputy on May 4, 2019, in a wooded area of Spokane Valley, Washington. Deputies had been called to the Parkside at Mirabeau apartments about a man reportedly acting very high and running near children. Deputy Joseph Wallace located Murray, who fled into woods and had been living in a makeshift camp there.

According to the deputy’s account, Murray did not comply with commands and appeared to be reaching into his pocket; Wallace fired multiple times, and an autopsy later showed Murray was shot six times. Investigators from the Spokane Investigative Regional Response Team found Murray was unarmed and the object he pulled from his pocket was a pair of black sunglasses, not a knife. The Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office concluded the use of lethal force was justified and no arrests were made.

Murray struggled with mental illness and drug addiction. His family filed a civil rights lawsuit; in March 2022 the county agreed to a $1 million settlement without admitting liability. Ethan’s mother has since advocated for improved mental health resources and police training for people in crisis.