Protests and investigation after Olympia shooting

Mary Bruno

Mary Bruno Jun 27, 2025

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>Protests and investigation after Olympia shooting</h1>
                <h2><p>City officials are asking for calm after Thursday's shooting of two young, unarmed black men by a white police officer. Olympia officer Ryan Donald shot stepbrothers Bryson Tyler Chaplin, 21, and Andre Damon Thompson, 24, who are suspected of trying to steal beer from an Olympia Safeway. Donald</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/mary-bruno-crosscut-com/">Mary Bruno</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>City officials are asking for calm after Thursday's shooting of two young, unarmed black men by a white police officer. Olympia officer Ryan Donald shot stepbrothers Bryson Tyler Chaplin, 21, and Andre Damon Thompson, 24, who are suspected of trying to steal beer from an Olympia Safeway. Donald said he fired after the young men attacked him with their skateboards. Donald is on administrative leave. Chaplin and Thompson are hospitalized in critical and serious condition, respectively.</p><p>Peaceful gatherings around the city took a dark turn around midnight, according to <em><a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/calm-urged-as-olympia-investigates-shootings-of-2-men/?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">The Seattle Times</a></em>, when "a few dozen demonstrators gathered near City Hall ... in Olympia, chanting, 'This won’t end until the last cop dies.'” After a few flash bangs and some rock, the crowd dispersed. No injuries. The city has set up a <a href="http://olympiawa.gov/city-services/police-department/news-and-notifications/officer-involved-shooting.aspx?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">webpage</a> where it is posting updates.</p>
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City officials are asking for calm after Thursday's shooting of two young, unarmed black men by a white police officer. Olympia officer Ryan Donald shot stepbrothers Bryson Tyler Chaplin, 21, and Andre Damon Thompson, 24, who are suspected of trying to steal beer from an Olympia Safeway. Donald said he fired after the young men attacked him with their skateboards. Donald is on administrative leave. Chaplin and Thompson are hospitalized in critical and serious condition, respectively.

Peaceful gatherings around the city took a dark turn around midnight, according to The Seattle Times, when "a few dozen demonstrators gathered near City Hall ... in Olympia, chanting, 'This won’t end until the last cop dies.'” After a few flash bangs and some rock, the crowd dispersed. No injuries. The city has set up a webpage where it is posting updates.

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By Mary Bruno

Mary was Crosscut's Editor-in-Chief and Interim Publisher. In more than 25 years as a journalist, she has worked as a writer, editor and editorial director for a variety of print and web publications,