Butts charged with aggravated murder
Daniel Armaugh Butts, 21, of Kalama has been formally charged with aggravated murder in the Wednesday shooting death of Rainier Police Chief Ralph Painter. The charge means he could face the death penalty.
The charge was filed by Columbia County District Attorney Steve Atchison Friday morning. Butts will have an initial court appearance Friday afternoon in Columbia County District Court. He is scheduled to appear via video conference and will not in the courtroom.
Prosecutors allege Butts fatally shot Painter after a scuffle when Painter was called to a car stereo store in West Rainier about a disturbance and possible car theft.
Painter, 55, was shot once in the head. Butts was taken into custody after a standoff with officers from the Clatskanie and Longview police departments. Butts was shot during the arrest and was released from a Portland hospital Thursday afternoon.
All three officers have been placed on administrative leave, as is customary in any police shooting. The Longview officer involved in the shooting was Doug Kazensky, a 13-year veteran of the agency.
http://tdn.com/news/local/article_55...cc4c03286.html
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