ATF lodges complaint against suspected shooter of DOC officer

Published 1:14 pm Wednesday, July 20, 2016

The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has lodged a criminal complaint of being a felon in unlawful possession of a firearm against the man suspected of shooting a state Department of Corrections Officer in Auburn on June 28.

At this time, the complaint says nothing about Randy Lee Hall’s alleged firing at a federal officer.

“It is early in the process – a criminal complaint is considered a ‘reactive’ charging document designed to bring the offender into custody quickly,” said Emily Langlie, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice in Seattle.

To proceed to trial or enter a plea, a grand jury would have to return the charge against Hall, although additional criminal conduct may be added during the grand jury process.

“It is also possible that the case can be resolved with the conduct – firing at a federal officer – being part of the relevant conduct that the judge considers at sentencing but might not be a named count,” Langlie said.

As a convicted felon, Hall is prohibited from possessing firearms. Beginning in the spring of 2016, however, he had been the subject of an ongoing ATF investigation, based on his connection to numerous firearms and shots-fired incidents.

According to the complaint, Washington Department of Corrections Officer Kristoffer Rongen, working for a task force with the ATF, was serving a federal firearms warrant on Hall in the parking lot of the Bye the Green Condominiums at 3428 I St. NE. when Hall allegedly shot him in the leg.

According to the complaint, an ATF agent returned fire and wounded Hall. Medics transported Hall in serious condition to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with multiple gunshot wounds.

Rongen is recovering from his wounds.

Langlie said the criminal complaint against Hall had to wait until he was well enough to leave the hospital and appear in court.