Kevin Evans, undersheriff of the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s department, testifies about officer training on Tuesday during the coroner’s inquest into the shooting death of 28-year-old Loren Simpson. At left is Park County Coroner Al Jenkins, who presided over the inquest. (Judy Killen photo
by Judy Killen-originally published in the weekly Yellowstone County News
BILLINGS — Loren Simpson was driving a stolen SUV, had a near-lethal blood level of methamphetamines and a bottle of whiskey in his coat sleeve when he was shot and killed by two Yellowstone County sheriff’s deputies in January 2015.
After a two-day coroner’s inquest, a jury on Wednesday determined that the deputies were not criminally liable for his death.
After deliberating for just over half an hour, the jury of four men and three women returned a majority opinion that Simpson’s “death was not occasioned by criminal means,” said Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito.
A coroner’s jury has a narrow focus, Twito said:
“What really is important is, under the laws of our county and our state, did a crime occur in this officer-involved shooting?”
In this case, the jury determined that a crime did not occur.
Twito pointed out that a coroner’s jury’s verdict is advisory, but added, “in my practice, I give great deference to the jury and their findings.”
In this case, the jurors were active and engaged, he said, asking witnesses dozens of questions during the two days.
“They asked a tremendous amount of questions today,” Twito said.
Park County Coroner Al Jenkins presided over the inquest. A coroner’s inquest is a standard procedure in officer involved shootings.
Yellowstone County sheriff’s deputies Jason Robinson and Christopher Rudolph shot at Simpson, a 28-year-old Lockwood resident, on Jan. 8, 2015, as he drove the stolen Ford Explorer SUV toward their patrol car on a slippery, snow-covered rural road south of Huntley.
The deputies were near the end of their 12-hour shift. They had spent time throughout that day pursuing the stolen SUV and investigating complaints of suspicious activity at several locations.
By late afternoon, they were trailing the SUV on White Buffalo Trial, near Justice Trail, where a burglary had been reported. They were piecing together evidence that pointed to Simpson.
Victoria Callendar, a deputy county attorney who questioned witnesses during the inquest, told jurors that Robinson “had some knowledge of Loren Simpson” and suspected he might be the driver of the SUV, and they had searched for the vehicle throughout that day.
When they saw it in the area where the burglary had been reported, they read more
