State Audit Finds Mostly Compliant Shooting Probe
Washington State Auditor's Office reviewed the Office of Independent Investigations' handling of a fatal 2025 Centralia police shooting.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Law Enforcement
The Washington State Auditor's Office released its first audit report of an Office of Independent Investigations case, finding the office largely compliant in investigating the Jan. 12, 2025 fatal shooting of Alecandro Castaneda by retired Centralia police officer Ruben Ramirez. The audit identified procedural lapses, including missing conflict of interest forms.
Why it matters
The audit scrutinizes whether the state's independent body investigating deadly police force is operating as intended, a question central to public confidence in officer accountability. The findings also show the process can produce case-level gaps even when the overall investigation is judged largely compliant.
The Lewis County Prosecutor's Office declined to file charges against Ramirez in August 2025, and OII has completed five investigations with nine still open. The extraction does not indicate whether any further review of the case is planned.
The players
Office of Independent Investigations (OII)
A Washington state body created by the Legislature in 2021 to independently investigate deadly force incidents involving law enforcement.
Washington State Auditor's Office
The state agency that audits government operations and has published 131 reports reviewing deadly force investigations since 2022.
Ruben Ramirez
A retired Centralia police officer whose fatal shooting of Alecandro Castaneda was the subject of the audit.
Jonathan Meyer
The Lewis County Prosecutor who declined to file charges against Ramirez in August 2025.
The details
Ramirez arrived to investigate a reported domestic disturbance in which Castaneda allegedly pushed the caller and broke doors. Ramirez drew his Taser and ordered Castaneda to the ground, after which Castaneda initiated a physical encounter and a struggle ensued. The audit found OII failed to require its director and three crime scene specialists, plus one investigator as the probe expanded, to complete conflict of interest forms.
Timeline
Jan. 12, 2025: Ramirez fatally shot Castaneda after a physical altercation.
August 2025: Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer declined to file charges against Ramirez.
Oct. 5: Ramirez resigned as a reserve officer with the Centralia Police Department.
Nov. 6, 2026: The State Auditor's Office released its first OII audit report.
Legal Context
The audit is the first published review of an Office of Independent Investigations case, a body the Washington Legislature created in 2021 to examine deadly force by law enforcement. The State Auditor's Office has since published 131 reports reviewing deadly force investigations, placing this case within a growing body of state oversight.
The audit affects how residents can expect police shootings to be investigated, since OII's procedures are now subject to public audit. Residents of Centralia and Lewis County may follow whether the missing conflict of interest forms are corrected in future cases.
The takeaway
Independent review of police shootings only builds public trust when its own procedures are consistently followed. Readers can track future State Auditor reports to see whether OII corrects the conflict of interest gaps identified here.
Further reading
For more on policing oversight, see Law Enforcement coverage across Washington.
More information
Read the complete State Auditor audit report on the Office of Independent Investigations case.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Daily Chronicle.
