OKC Police Question ME's Autopsy Report For Man Who Killed K-9 Kye

The Medical Examiner released an autopsy report for a man killed by an officer after he reportedly stabbed an Oklahoma City police K-9 to death. However, police are questioning the narrative of the autopsy that says the suspect was running away from the officer when he was shot and killed. 

On Sunday, August 24, police responded to a burglary call which led to a vehicle pursuit and a foot chase, eventually ending with two deaths -- K-9 officer Kye, and the man police said stabbed and killed the K-9, Mark Salazar. 

8/28/20/14 Related Story: OKC Police K-9 Killed In Line Of Duty Laid To Rest

According to the autopsy from the Chief Medical Examiner, police shot Salazar a total of six times, four of them in the back. The autopsy also indicates police witnessed Salazar stabbing a dog, and Salazar ignored the police warnings to stop and surrender.

From there, the narrative in the autopsy states Salazar got up and ran away from the officer when shots were fired. Those comments from the autopsy narrative are much different from what police originally reported.

The autopsy also states that while four of the six shots were in the back, the other two shots were to Salazar's left arm and left thigh.

Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty held a news conference concerning the ME's report Wednesday afternoon. He said he has asked the ME to clarify the language used in the report.

Citty said the findings of the police department's investigation are in conflict with the narrative of the ME's report. He said the police department's findings indicate Salazar wasn't running away when he was shot, he was indeed confronting the officer. 

The Chief Medical Examiner sent Chief Citty an email, stating that the comment section in the autopsy report was worded “ambiguously and inaccurately.”

According to the Chief Medical Examiner, the comment section says, “Decedent got up and ran away from the officer, when shots were fired,” which he said was an initial impression of the Medical Examiner investigator at the scene, and the autopsy findings by themselves cannot confirm or refute this, except that the gunshot wounds of the back were not made while Salazar was running from the officer.

The Chief Medical Examiner also said in the email that the gunshot wounds in Salazar's back all have a clearly steep-angle downward trajectory, and are highly unlikely to have been discharged while Salazar was running away from the officer who was shooting.

Chief Citty said the Chief Medical Examiner will revise the autopsy report with a supplemental one. 

Citty said they will turn over the reports to the McClain County District Attorney to determine if the shooting was justified.