King County prosecutors have brought back a long-stalled murder case, refiling charges this week against Henry Eugene Washington in the July 13, 2020, shooting that killed Bothell Police Officer Jonathan Shoop and wounded Officer Mustafa Kumcur. Washington now again faces aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder and vehicular assault, a fresh set of filings that puts a spotlight on a case that has sat largely frozen while courts wrestled with his mental competency and civil-commitment orders.
According to KIRO 7, the King County Prosecutor’s Office refiled the case on June 26 and described the decision as following “multiple periods of competency restoration and civil commitment ordered by the court.” Prosecutors say Washington is scheduled to be arraigned July 6 and that the return to court follows successive findings that he was not competent to stand trial. The new filing also includes firearm enhancements on the murder and attempted murder counts.
How the 2020 shooting unfolded
According to a 2023 audit of the independent investigation, the encounter started when officers stopped a car with no license plate and the driver took off, later firing at the patrol vehicle. The Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team (SMART) investigation, summarized in an audit by the Office of the Washington State Auditor, found that Officer Kumcur returned fire and that a round from an officer’s weapon inadvertently struck and killed Officer Shoop. Prosecutors nevertheless charged Washington with murder on the theory that his actions set in motion the chain of events that ended in Shoop’s death. The Washington State Auditor reviewed the SMART files and released the audit in 2023.
Competency, commitments and court timeline
The procedural history is lengthy and complicated. As outlined by KIRO 7, prosecutors first filed charges in July 2020. After 360 days of attempts at competency restoration, those charges were dismissed in October 2023. Washington was then civilly committed to Western State Hospital and later transferred to other facilities run by the state Department of Social and Health Services. The outlet reports that filings were again renewed in King County on June 26, 2026. Prosecutors say those medical and legal steps explain why the case appeared inactive for stretches of time and why the office chose to refile now. KIRO 7 also notes that Washington entered a not guilty plea in 2020 after a judge ordered that he be brought to court.
Legal context
Washington law spells out how courts must handle defendants who are found incompetent. State statutes and court rules govern evaluations, restoration treatment and civil conversions, and they assign specific duties to the courts and to the Department of Social and Health Services. Those rules help explain why criminal charges can be paused or dismissed while restoration is underway and why civil commitment can follow dismissal. The framework is set out in RCW 10.77, which covers competency and restoration procedures.
What’s next
Washington is due back in court for arraignment on July 6. After that hearing, the judge will decide whether to set trial dates or order more evaluation or treatment. The next chapter for the case will be written through court filings, notices from prosecutors and any statements from the defense, and we will update this story as new records and hearing details become available.
