Charges Filed In Wenatchee VA Shooting, More Details Released

The 54-year-old man police shot and injured on the Eastmont Extension Dec. 17 now has formal charges against him.

Troy McMaster is accused of felony 2nd Degree Assault and 1st Degree Malicious Mischief as well as misdemeanor Discharging a Firearm.

Police say he fired shots and rammed his truck into the Wenatchee VA clinic before leading them on a chase to the Eastmont Extension, where he wielded a gun and they shot him.

McMaster is currently in a Seattle hospital.

Events in the case started when a suicide threat was dispatched to RiverCom around 8:45pm Dec. 17. McMaster's brother reported receiving text messages from McMaster saying "he wanted to hurt himself" but "no plan was mentioned," according to a notice of arrest statement.

McMaster was no longer at his home on Maryhill St. in East Wenatchee.

Then, according to the notice of arrest statement, McMaster texted his brother a photo of a gun on his lap just before 10:00pm.

In a separate court filing, officers say McMaster's brother told them he located McMaster in the North Wenatchee VA parking lot. The brother approached McMaster's truck on foot and "startled him". The brother said McMaster point the gun, described as a Glock 45, directly at him. He said McMaster exited his truck and chased him. The brother said he retreated to his vehicle for safety.

At 10:07pm another person found McMaster at the VA clinic. The person said they saw McMaster point a gun at his brother. The person then left the scene.

Surveillance video from a PUD location then showed McMaster firing shots, at one point five shots in a row, into the VA building. McMaster's pickup truck is seen driving around the parking lot and ramming into the building an adjacent pole.

Shortly after 11:00pm, McMaster drove away from the area, reportedly at a high rate of speed on U.S. 97A, and led both Chelan County deputies and Wenatchee Police on a chase into Douglas County

McMaster stopped on the Eastmont Extension. Officers reported shooting McMaster at 11:18pm. and requested backup.

Douglas County Prosecuting Attorney Gordon Edgar is serving as the Specially Appointed Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Chelan County.

He filed a motion Thursday, saying he viewed video footage from law enforcement car and body cameras showing McMaster, once in Douglas County, stopping his vehicle and exiting armed with a pistol.

Edgar said McMaster ignored verbal commands by law enforcement to drop the pistol, and instead, loaded a magazine into it.

An officer then fired a non-lethal shot, according to Edgar, that hit McMaster and knocked him to the ground.

Edgar said the video showed McMaster on the ground still holding the pistol and "pointing it down range" at officers.

He said McMaster did not drop the firearm despite ongoing verbal commands and officers shot him several times in his legs. Once McMaster was no longer armed, officers secured him.

An ambulance was called to the scene. McMaster was transported to Confluence Health Hospital Central Campus for “an injury to his leg” and subsequently flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Edgar said McMaster was accompanied by a Douglas County Sheriff's detective. Once in Seattle, he was and continues to be guarded by commissioned police officers working through a private agency.

Edgar said McMaster has had numerous surgeries and said he'd confirmed with McMaster's father that he had one more surgery.

The surgery is scheduled for Jan. 2, and Edgar said there was no aftercare plan in place. A recovery plan will not be known until after the upcoming surgery.

Chelan County Superior Court Judge Travis Brandt signed an order delaying McMaster's first appearance in court until he becomes available. The case is continued until further order from the court.

Investigators haven’t disclosed the number of times McMaster was shot or whether they’ve determined if all the officers’ shots struck him.

The North Central Washington Special Investigation Unit (NCW SIU) is conducting an independent probe into the shooting.

The names of the officers involved in the shooting have been released. They are Chelan County Sheriff's Office Sgts. Adam Musgrove and Brian Lewis, and deputy Andrew Tilton, along with Wenatchee Police Department officer Erik Magnussen.

The officers are all on administrative leave.