A Kirkland man and military veteran accused of threatening a group of local boys with a gun after he found some of them on his property at night was sentenced in Veteran’s Court to 24-month probation after he pled guilty to two lesser counts.
Christopher Raymound Dunn, 36, was initially charged by the King County Prosecutor’s Office with two counts of second-degree assault for allegedly threatening the teens with a gun after he discovered several of them trespassing on his property in February 2014 and mistook their alleged game of cops and robbers for a potential robbery. He was later referred to the King County Regional Veterans Court, where the felony was dismissed and he was charged with two misdemeanor counts of unlawful display of a weapon, according to King County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe.
Dunn had previously served the Marine Corps Forces Reserves as a tank technician in Iraq is undergoing treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, which he started in late 2014.
As part of his probation, Dunn is not allowed to possess any firearms or consume alcohol. He must also comply with any mental health treatment approved by the judge.
According to a Kirkland Police report by responding officers, the incident occurred at around 10:30 p.m. during heavy rainfall. The teens later stated they had been hiding on the property while playing cops and robbers as part of a birthday celebration.
When Dunn yelled at the teenagers, they allegedly apologized and ran off the property, according to documents from a Kirkland Police investigation of the incident. Dunn then allegedly got into his truck and pursued the teens. The investigation documents allege that Dunn went to drive back home when he didn’t see them, but then discovered two other teens near his neighbor’s property who were a part of the same group playing cops and robbers. Dunn then exited the vehicle and confronted them with a semi-automatic handgun, the investigation documents allege. One of the teens claimed he was struck in the face by Dunn. One of the officers investigating the incident reported not finding any marks or injuries on the teen’s face who claimed to have been struck.
During the ensuing investigation, police found two of the fence boards on Dunn’s property had been pulled off the rails, leaving a hole. They discovered the fence boards lying in the front yard and the screen removed from Dunn’s living room window. The doors to his tool shed had been left open and fresh footprints matching one of the teen’s shoes were inside.
Dunn denied hitting one of the teens and told police his gun had been holstered the entire time. When told by investigators that two witnesses had confirmed seeing him produce the handgun, Dunn allegedly replied that the witnesses must have mistaken his flashlight for a gun.
The Kirkland Police investigation ultimately concluded Dunn had legitimate reasons to believe someone was trying to break into his home.
The police investigation also concluded, however, that Dunn’s actions to pursue the teens once they left his property “had clearly crossed the line of reasonableness and could no longer be justified.”
The investigation documents also allege one teen lied to police during a follow-up investigation about being on the property. Charges were forwarded to the prosecutor’s office, but no charges were ever filed against him.
