The Tri-City Herald published an article on Feb. 21 revisiting what they called “one of the worst crime sprees in Tri-City history.†It was part of a series on Ryan Kaufman’s tragic act of gun violence and arson across the Tri-Cities in 2021.
According to the article, Kaufman shot his parents to death, shot two neighbors, killing one, burned three homes, including his own, and set more than a dozen fires between Finley and Prosser. His rampage ended in West Richland, where he was shot to death inside his burning pickup truck.
The Herald’s series pointed out that Kaufman was known to suffer from mental illness from an early age. He was prescribed medication for depression and psychosis.
Later in life, Kaufman was seeing a psychiatrist. But he’d stopped. And he’d stopped taking his medication. His relatives and neighbors said he’d become more and more erratic by the spring of 2021. In the months before his tragic outburst, Kaufman’s family was “keeping their distance.â€
Reports cited by the Herald indicated that during his rampage Kaufman was wearing body armor and a Kevlar helmet, and was armed with a shotgun, a 9 mm pistol, extra ammunition, gas cans and a flare gun. Kaufman’s brother later told investigators that Kaufman owned “at least 50 and maybe as many as 100 guns.â€
In re-examining Kaufman’s violent behavior the author of the Herald’s series wrote, “One of the biggest questions is why?â€
That’s not my biggest question.
Washington had an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO), aka “red flag†law in place for five years before this tragedy. As far as can be determined, no one tried to use the law in the case of Ryan Kaufman. Why not?
Washington’s Extreme Risk Protection Order law (RCW7.105.100) was passed in the 2016 election. Nearly 70% of Washington voters approved the law, including a majority in Benton and Franklin counties, where Kaufman lived.
An ERPO is a court order that temporarily suspends a person’s access to firearms if there is evidence that the person is threatening to harm themself or others. Despite challenges, the courts have ruled ERPOs constitutional. Yet ERPOs don’t seem to be used to the extent warranted.
For example, there were nearly 10,000 serious crimes in Kennewick between 2017 and 2022 — many involving domestic violence. According to a public records request of the Kennewick Police Department, only three ERPOs were filed during those five years.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “ERPO laws are likely to be more effective when their implementation is adequately funded and supported by a broad array of stakeholders.†This is “critical to ensuring that people in the community are aware of the process for petitioning for an ERPO.†We’re finding that in our area, public knowledge of ERPOs and how to seek them is lacking.
Further, the DOJ states that, “law enforcement should receive adequate training on ERPO laws,†including on “… executing an ERPO, implicit bias, de-escalation techniques, and crisis intervention.â€
Up to May 2023, the state Basic Law Enforcement Academy (CJTC) — “Washington’s mandated training academy for all city and county entry-level peace officers in the state†— was providing no such training.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), nearly 58 million U.S. adults live with some form of mental illness. Of these, more than 14 million suffer from a severe mental illness, like Ryan Kaufman.
It’s important to understand that the large majority of people with mental disorders do not engage in violence against others; numerous studies have borne this out. The director of the National Institute on Mental Health testified to this effect before Congress.
Suicide is another matter. Psychiatric disorders, such as depression, are strongly implicated in suicide, which accounts for more than half of gun fatalities (76% in Washington).
Suicide is among the top 10 leading causes of death in America. Sadly, it is the second leading cause of death for young people 15 to 24, and the second leading cause of death among veterans under age 45. When people commit suicide, the majority do so with a firearm.
Why not remove guns from those whose behavior threatens harm to themself or others? Why not utilize the law that was designed to do this, the ERPO law?
That’s my biggest question.
