A veteran Pasco police officer shot and killed a machete-wielding man during a confrontation outside a Court Street strip mall.
The Regional Special Investigations Unit identified Detective TJ Orth as the officer who opened fire when Salih Belsic, 47, allegedly attacked him on May 23.
Orth, a detective in the street crime unit, has been with the department for more than eight years and previously worked for the Sunnyside Police Department. He is currently on paid administrative leave, Franklin County Sheriff’s Commander Marcus Conner said in a news release.
An autopsy revealed that Belsic died as a result of multiple gunshots.
Belsic, who suffered from mental health problems, had a history of threatening people with machetes over the past decade.
Pasco Police were called to the area of ​​RiverView Plaza on Court Street around 6:45 p.m
Witnesses say Belsic chased at least one 18-year-old man to his car while holding the gun.
Orth was part of a group of officers who arrived at the square around the same time.
Officers tried to calm Beslic, but he refused to give up his weapon. Instead, he attacked officers, a Facebook post from Pasco police said
They were in an alley near Cornerstone Church Tri-Cities when Orth shot Beslic, who died at the scene.
Belsic’s family has been notified and is cooperating with the investigation, Conner said in the latest release.
The Regional Special Investigations Unit took over the investigation, Pasco police said. The unit draws officers from Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties to investigate officer-involved shootings.
Conner said they recovered a bladed weapon at the scene and officers were wearing body cameras. No video of the shooting has been shared.
Investigators located several people around Round Table Pizza and the Circle K gas station at Road 32 and Court Street who may have witnessed the shooting and Belsic’s activities before the shooting.
Anyone who may have been in the area between 5 and 7 p.m. on May 23 is asked to contact Sgt. Steve Warren by phone at 509-545-3501 or email at swarren@franklincountywa.gov.
