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An Idaho deputy who fatally shot an armed man suffering a mental health crisis proclaimed “I’m gonna lose my gun again” in the moments after the fatal encounter.
The comment, made by Clearwater County Sheriff’s Cpl. Brittany Brokop’s right after she gunned down 48-year-old Michael Trappett, was captured on bodycam footage obtained by NBC News. Last month, the Latah County prosecuting attorney determined her actions on during the Jan. 31 incident were justified and she has since returned to regular patrol duty.
A second officer, Randall Carruth, who also fired his weapon at Trappett, was similarly cleared in the case.
Both officers were responding at the time to a 911 call from Trappett’s mother, who claimed he was intoxicated, aggressive and armed with a large kitchen knife. She added that she’d become so concerned about his behavior that she was waiting outside her home in Orofino, a town of roughly 3,100 in north Idaho.
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In the bodycam video, Carruth and Brokop can be heard repeatedly ordering Trappett to show his hands. Rather than comply, however, Trappett screamed expletives at the pair of cops and brandished a knife, according to The Lewiston Tribune.
“Come and shoot me,” Trappett said.
“No, we don’t want to shoot you, man,” Carruth responded. “Just talk to us.”
Eventually Trappett wanders away from the officers, who in turn, follow. Police said he turned around suddenly and raised his knife, forcing the officers to shoot.
In a federal lawsuit filed last month, Trappett’s family accused the deputies of excessive force among other allegations.
“We think Brittany Brokop should be held accountable for her actions,” said Trappett’s brother, Bill Trappett. “She’s gone too far.”
Brokop was also reportedly cleared of wrongdoing in a 2020 shooting while working for the same sheriff’s office.
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