A Kingman police officer who shot and killed a local resident last fall has been exonerated and cleared of any wrongdoing through outside agency investigation and case review by deputy Mohave County Attorney James Schoppmann. He concluded that officer Shawn Wyma’s use of deadly physical force was legally justified.
Schoppmann’s findings come in the Oct. 14, 2020 ordeal that culminated in the death of Jason Peters, 45. Police first responded at 12:36 a.m. to a report of a man wielding a machete and chopping bushes on his neighbor’s property in the 2000 block of Fairgrounds Boulevard.
The subject later identified as Peters was gone when police arrived on scene. Police responded again at 2:12 a.m. after Peters reportedly fired a high velocity pellet gun that shattered the window of a nearby home.
“Over the course of several minutes Peters fired his weapon multiple time from inside his home in the vicinity of officers and the surrounding neighborhood striking vehicles, a fence and homes,” Schoppmann said. “Peters was alternating fire from inside his home to different directions in the neighborhood to include to the east near officer (Evan) Hopper and Wyma.”
Schoppmann said Wyma heard glass shatter behind him after he spotted the silhouette of Peters who fired a round while leveling a rifle pointed in his direction. He said Wyma returned fire three times, one round striking Peters in the back.
Schoppmann said Wyma had no way of knowing that Peters had been firing a high velocity pellet gun that was found by his body. He said other pellet guns and a .223 caliber rifle were found within Peters home and a Molotov cocktail was discovered near the front door.
Schoppmann also said that alcohol and methamphetamine were found in Peter’s bloodstream.
