Kitsap County prosecutors have decided that a Washington State Patrol trooper was justified in the August shooting death of a Port Angeles woman.
A 395-page report was released by the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office this week that details the Aug. 9 struggle and shooting death of Rosa Hammer, 27, by Bremerton-based Trooper Ron Kessler.
“The investigation appears complete,” said Russell D. Hauge, Kitsap County prosecuting attorney, in a memorandum dated Oct. 21.
“(Kessler) responded with reasonable force. Considering all information available, Trooper Kessler’s shooting of Rosa Hammer was justified.”
Using his backup weapon Kessler fired three times, shooting Hammer twice in the back and once in the chest, the report confirmed.
Kessler was shot in the right hand during the struggle with Hammer.
After his first weapon failed to fire, Kessler replaced it in his holster before pulling the second weapon and shooting Hammer.
Hammer was a passenger in a white pickup truck driven by Tessa A. Baskins, which was stopped by Kessler on state Route 16 in Gorst, south of Bremerton.
Trooper’s account
In his first comment about the incident, Kessler provided Kitsap prosecutors with a three-page written statement — describing the incident as a fight for his life.
Kessler outlined the struggle after attempting to arrest Hammer for a large quantity of marijuana found in the backpack she admitted was hers.
After wrestling Hammer to the ground, Kessler warned her repeatedly to stop resisting and noticed a gun in her backpack, the statement said.
Pulling his weapon Kessler said he pulled the trigger twice, but the 9 mm Beretta failed to discharge.
The report said Kessler replaced the gun in its holster and reached for Hammer’s gun with his right hand as she fired it.
Kessler was shot in that hand, the bullet taking off the end of his pinkie finger and grazing his palm.
Father’s response
Meanwhile, Ed Hammer, the 68-year-old father of Rosa, disputed the section of the prosecutor’s report detailing hand injuries to Kessler and Rosa Hammer.
“I feel Ron Kessler made a statement and now they are out to prove him right,” Ed Hammer told the Peninsula Daily News Wednesday. “I feel he should have been cross-examined.”
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