Documents: Kevin Peterson’s gun was resold sheriff weapon

The firearm a man carried when police killed him had been a duty weapon used by law enforcement, according to records released by prosecutors in Clark County.

Kevin Peterson, who was Black, was shot by law enforcement officers in Hazel Dell on Oct. 29 during a drug sting operation. Police shot at Peterson 34 times, hitting him four times. There’s no evidence Peterson fired his gun. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Investigative documents released by prosecutors show the gun Peterson had was originally sent from Glock, the manufacturer, to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in Portland, Oregon in 2004, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

The Glock is currently registered to Peterson’s cousin, who purchased the weapon from a firearms dealer this year.

After Peterson was killed, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives performed an urgent trace on the weapon.

A spokesperson for the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said when deputies get new duty weapons, old ones are sold to local gun dealers who can resell the firearms to the public. The measure is designed to save costs for the sheriff’s office.

A 2018 investigation by The Associated Press found law enforcement in Washington sold some 6,000 confiscated firearms between 2010 and 2017. More than a dozen of those weapons later ended up becoming evidence in new criminal investigations.

The AP investigation did not investigate sales of retired duty firearms.