A Washington state man remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition after Puyallup Police Officer Zion Gregory shot him twice when he allegedly charged the officer with a metal baton, authorities said. The confrontation came after Brandon Michael Holland, 36, had already allegedly tried to drown his sister in the family's swimming pool because she was vacuuming too loudly.
Background
The incident occurred the night of June 5 at the family's residence on 4th Avenue NW in Puyallup, a city roughly 10 miles southeast of Tacoma. According to court documents obtained by The News Tribune, Holland had been kicked out of a friend's house earlier that day and went to stay with his family in violation of a court order.
"There were no contact orders in place and he was not allowed to be there," Tacoma Police Department Detective Jennifer Quilio wrote in the criminal complaint. "[His sister] stated that her parents let Brandon stay anyway and her father has denied the physical assaults and refused to cooperate with police to avoid implicating his son."
Around 7 p.m., Holland was lying on their mother's bed, which is kept in the living room for medical reasons, while his sister vacuumed nearby, according to investigators. When family members asked him to get off the bed, the defendant became angry and aggressive, detectives wrote.
The Investigation
Police say the confrontation escalated when the sister indicated she would call 911 and went outside toward the pool. Upon hearing that an emergency call was imminent, Holland allegedly told his mother: "That's OK, I'll kill her." He then charged at his sister and both siblings fell into the family swimming pool.
"[His sister] said that at least one time she was under water for 10-20 seconds and ran out of air in her lungs before she could use her legs to push off the pool bottom and get her head above water to breathe," according to court documents.
The siblings' father intervened, pushing Holland off his sister. The victim then grabbed her father's phone and ran to a neighbor's house to call 911. Police say Holland chased after her, shouting: "Get back here, I'm going to kill you." A neighbor blocked Holland's advance long enough for the sister to reach safety inside their garage.
Holland allegedly returned to the family residence and tried to break down the door. When his father barricaded himself inside, the defendant grabbed a metal baton from his car and smashed the small oval window at the top of the door, investigators said.
Officer Zion Gregory, 29, was the first officer to arrive at the scene. According to court documents, Holland approached the officer with the baton while shouting expletives. Detective Quilio wrote that the defendant screamed for the officer to shoot him as Gregory ordered him to drop the weapon.
"The heated exchange continued as Brandon shouted at Officer Gregory to shoot him and Officer Gregory shouted back to stop, drop the weapon, and get on the ground or he would be shot," according to the criminal complaint.
When Holland raised the baton over his head and ran at the officer, Gregory fired three shots, striking Holland twice. The suspect was transported to a local hospital where he remains in critical but stable condition and is expected to survive.
Key Takeaways
- Brandon Michael Holland, 36, has been charged with one count each of second-degree attempted murder and burglary, plus two counts each of assault and violating a court order
- The alleged attack on his sister occurred over vacuuming noise while he was lying on their mother's medical bed in the living room
- Detectives say Holland threatened to kill his sister before both fell into the family pool; she was reportedly underwater for 10-20 seconds during the drowning attempt
- After being shot by Officer Zion Gregory, Holland survived and remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition
What's Next
Holland made his first appearance Monday in Pierce County Superior Court. He remains hospitalized while facing charges that include second-degree attempted murder. A preliminary hearing date has not yet been set, according to court records. The Tacoma Police Department conducted the investigation into the officer-involved shooting at the request of Puyallup police.