No charges filed in officer-involved shooting

MOSES LAKE — No charges will be filed in the case of a Moses Lake Police Department officer who shot and killed a man who shot and injured a police K9 during a chase Feb. 28.

Grant County Prosecutor Garth Dano announced Wednesday that no charges would be filed against MLPD officer Nick Stewart. The incident resulted in the death of Jose Rivera, 22, of Moses Lake.

Dano said Stewart “acted with the highest level of professionalism as a trained police officer.”

Rivera was being sought in connection with a series of robberies and tried to flee from officers when they found him. After a chase, Rivera’s vehicle was disabled and he tried to flee on foot.

Rivera fired at Stewart, hitting and wounding Stewart’s K9, Chief. Stewart returned fire, killing Rivera. Chief survived but was retired recently as a result of his injuries.

The case was investigated by the Columbia Basin Investigative Team, made up of officers from agencies throughout Grant and Adams counties, as well as the Washington State Patrol and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

— Cheryl Schweizer