Hey John, one of the two deputies involved in the OIS yesterday is Deputy Waxler."

 

Someone recognized law enforcement from the photos posted online about the 14th and Union incident yesterday. "Hey John, one of the two deputies involved in the OIS yesterday is Deputy Waxler." The source added, "I believe that is him." The photo online is clear but not a close up. The source is in the know and clarified the initial statement  with, "It was definitely two HCSO deputies. The source added, "From the look on Waxler's face, I am fairly certain he was the other but I cant say 100%." The other shooter was HCSO Deputy Colton Ross. 

There are two Waxlers who currently work at HCSO.

Both Deputy Johnathan Waxler and Deputy Colton Ross graduated in 2018 from the College of Redwoods Law Enforcement Academy. A 2018 HCSO facebook post has photos but names don't correspond to the order the deputies are standing. There are other photos of Johnathan Waxler with his brother Sgt. Bryan Waxler and Sheriff William Honsal. There is also a photo of Deputy Ross with Sheriff Honsal.

No one is going to confirm this until EPD or the agency investigating will release information and I did contact both EPD and HCSO. I have a busy day at the courthouse and following up on other news so will be updating as I know more.

If it is Deputy Johnathan Waxler, his name shows up in a Brady list site on Google. 

Other local sources know both Waxler brothers. 

Deputy Johnathan Waxler "has a brother who is a HCSO Sgt." That would be Bryan Waxler. That is corroborated with the facebook photo.

Regarding Bryan Waxler, I was told he previously worked at EPD and "he's a screw up and that "there was an internal administrative investigation done against Bryan Waxler  for several inappropriate things  and "he was fired by EPD back during the Garr era." Deputy Johnathan Waxler "was screwing a dispatcher on duty in the break room" and was one of many in law enforcement who dallied wuth her.

EPD press release should be out sometime this afternoon. EPD PIO Laura Montagna responded that she does not know the names. I have forwarded my request to the general HCSO mailbox  but they have do not have a full time PIO with staff doing double duty and I cced Sheriff William Honsal since this is an OIS.

These are photos of both Waxlers and Ross. You can compare them with online photos of law enforcement at the scene for the 14th and Union incident. 24 hours since this post and there has been no denial from HCSO. If these  deputies were not involved, a simple no from HCSO or Sheriff Honsal takes one second to email.

 3 p.m. update: EPD issued press release. EPD  identified the suspect in 14th and Union street as Daniel Martinez. EPD press release confirmed that the officers involved were both HCSO deputies and members of the SWAT team. Both have been placed on "paid special leave."

EPD Press Release (3 p.m. on 1/23):

On January 22, 2024 at approximately 05:46 a.m., the Eureka Police Department responded to a report of a male juvenile that had suffered a significant laceration to his neck needing immediate medical attention. 

The juvenile reported he had been assaulted by an adult male family member. Officers located the juvenile and he was transported to a local medical facility for treatment of severe but not life-threatening wounds. The juvenile told officers the assault occurred at a residence in the 1400 block of Union Street in Eureka, and that there were additional occupants and juveniles in the home who had been threatened and were in danger. Officers entered the residence and began checking for additional occupants and victims. While in the residence, officers learned the male suspect had moved the rest of the occupants into a second-story bedroom where he had barricaded himself and was holding them hostage. The officers on scene began requesting additional resources and attempted to negotiate with the suspect. At approximately 7:41 a.m., the Eureka Police Department issued a shelter in place notification that was sent out to local residences and businesses immediately adjacent to the incident location. 

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team as well as the Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) were requested and responded to the scene. Throughout the day negotiations continued until all four hostages were safely released at approximately 1:00 p.m. There was one adult female and three male juveniles, ranging in ages from 4-12 years old, removed from the residence. One of the juveniles had a large laceration to the side of his neck caused by the male suspect. All the juveniles were transported to a local medical facility and evaluated. The male juvenile with the significant laceration to his neck received treatment for his injury which was non-life threatening. The juveniles were then released into the custody of Child Welfare Services. CNT continued to negotiate with the male suspect, who was non-compliant and refused to surrender and exit the room, for four more hours. 

Detectives with EPD had obtained a Ramey Warrant for the suspect’s arrest for the felony assault on the first male juvenile. At approximately 4:58 p.m., contact with the suspect was made, and an officer involved shooting (OIS) occurred. The male suspect was struck by gunfire. City Ambulance and Humboldt Bay Fire, who had been staged on scene, responded directly to the residence. Immediate life-saving measures were employed by members of the SWAT team and medical personnel.  The suspect was transported to a local medical facility where he succumbed to his injuries. 

The suspect has been identified as Daniel Martinez, 43 years old of Eureka. Two members of the Humboldt County SWAT team have been identified as having fired their firearms during the OIS.  Both are deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and have been placed on paid special leave, as is protocol for their agency. The Humboldt County Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), led by the Eureka Police Department and the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office, was activated to investigate this incident.  

This investigation is ongoing and additional information will be released as it becomes available. The Eureka Police Department appreciates the partnerships with the agencies that assisted with this incident:  Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Fortuna Police Department, California Highway Patrol, City Ambulance, Humboldt Bay Fire, Yurok Tribal Police, Humboldt County Child Welfare Services, Yurok Social Services, Humboldt County Behavioral Health and Crisis Alternative Response of Eureka (CARE). Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact Detective Donald Bailey with the Eureka Police Department Criminal Investigations Unit at 707-441-4215.     

EPD update (2/2 1:52 p.m.):

The two Humboldt County Sheriff Deputies involved in the January 22, 2024 officer involved shooting are Deputy Johnathan Waxler and Deputy Colton Ross.  Deputy Ross has over 6 years of service and Deputy Waxler has over 5 ½ years of service.  Both Deputies remain on paid special leave.  The autopsy has been performed and the preliminary cause of death is due to gunfire.  The toxicology results are still pending. 

Related post:

https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2024/01/hostages-safe-but-14th-street-incident.html?m=1