Douglas County Commissioner Says Veteran Shot and Killed by Police 'Deserved It'

Calls the deceased a 'Son of a Bitch' in a public meeting two days after the shooting

Trigger warning: vulgar language and disturbing subject matter (re: fatal police shooting).

Kyle Steinburg is a veteran of the Marine Corps and a Douglas County commissioner in Washington State who put his support of veterans front and center in his 2016 campaign.

But during a public meeting in May, he called a local veteran shot and killed on the streets of Wenatchee on the morning of the Apple Blossom Grand Parade a “son of a bitch” who “needed and deserved to be shot.”

Here’s a short Tik Tok with audio from that meeting, as well as subtitles.

The man who was killed was Alex White, a combat vet who had served with distinction in the middle east, according to a former girlfriend who knew him since high school. She said she thinks he was having a PTSD episode.

That woman has asked to remain anonymous so we’ll call her Veronica. She said White was a good man who was “highly intelligent” and decided to speak out because she feels he has been disrespected. She said the rumors that have been spread about him on social media are gross and untrue.

White was shot and killed by Wenatchee Police officers after refusing to comply with their orders to drop a weapon, according to officials. When officers arrived the windows of the front doors of the Living Hope Community Church in Wenatchee had been shot out.

In a grainy video recorded by a witness from behind a tree in the park across the street and later posted to Facebook, you can see two WPD officers approach White, shout orders and then fire. White was holding something that appears to be a firearm, but it is hard to tell because of the low-quality video and the distance at which it was filmed. It does not look like White fired a weapon, but the two WPD officers did and his death is unmistakable, and disturbing to watch. It’s still up on Facebook but I will not link to it because that is gross and unethical, in my opinion.

I watched the video after it was posted and flagged it to Facebook after viewing it, but was informed about 12 hours later that it did not violate their “community standards.”

The video was still public on Facebook as of June 24, 2022.

Veronica also watched the video, before she realized who the man killed on camera was. She said it disturbed her.

“I don’t know why I watched the video,” she said. “I had a complete breakdown.”

Others did not have the same reaction, and some rejoiced online throughout Apple Blossom weekend. One local realtor wrote it was a case of another “bad guy” getting what he deserved. People speculated that White was a drug addict, and homeless.

Yet Veronica said he was not homeless, and he never was into drugs when they were together. She said he did well in the Army as a driver and was so good at his job that he was trusted with “driving around the higher ups.”

But she said when they were together he drank too much, and so did she, and she believed he had unresolved PTSD issues. However, he wasn’t a lost cause by any means. After the Army she said he became a certified diver and underwater wielder, and later worked as a cell tower technician.

“He was a really good man and I just don’t know what happened,” Veronica said. “He’s literally the last person who deserved this.”

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Callous comments from the cheap seats online are expected these days. What is unique is hearing edgelord comments from an elected official in a public meeting. So when I heard the audio of Steinburg expressing his approval of White’s death in a meeting in a county he doesn’t serve or represent, I was curious to know if he regretted his comments. I was also curious what the folks at the Wenatchee Police Department thought about Steinburg making such statements regarding an active investigation.

So I emailed Wenatchee Police Chief Steve Crown, and Kyle Steinburg. Crown got back to me promptly. It took a few days for Steinburg to respond through the Douglas County Board Clerk.

Here are my emails and their responses:

“Hi, Chief Crown,

Hope this email finds you well. I recently came across these audio recordings of Douglas County Commissioner Kyle Steinburg speaking on the record at the May Douglas County Commissioners meeting about how the WPD handled their altercation with Alex White on the morning of May 7.

Does the WPD have a comment about Commissioner Steinburg's remarks?”

Chief Crown responded about 12 hours later, writing:

“I have no comment regarding Commissioner Steinburg’s comment nor will I attempt to interpret his motivation.

The Wenatchee Police Department has a strong culture that places a very high value on the sanctity of life and public safety for all we serve. Furthermore, we recognize the needs of the grieving loved ones in these types of incidents. We encourage our community to practice the same.

We are grateful for the support from our community that is earned everyday by our dedicated men and women in our department. It is through that support that we are able to carry out our mission, ‘We promote a safe community and quality of life through protection and service.’”

When I emailed Steinburg I cc’d Douglas County Board Clerk Tiana Rowland in my request for comment, and she sent his remarks along a few days later.

Here’s my email and Steinburg’s response via Ms. Rowland:

“Hello Commissioner Steinburg,

I recently heard some audio from May’s Douglas County Commissioner meeting in which you said Alex White, the man who WPD officers shot and killed the morning of the Apple Blossom Parade, “deserved and needed to be shot.” You also said the “son of a bitch” should have been “dead.”

Do you regret those statements or do you still stand by them? Did you know Mr. White was a veteran? And were you aware the investigation into this incident is still open?

I spoke with Chief Crown at the WPD. I’d like to give you the chance to go on record regarding this matter as well.

And if you would not like to provide a statement, perhaps the county commissioners as a group would like to address this issue."

Thank you for you time.”

A few days later I got a response from Steinburg, via Rowland.

“Hi Dominic,

Please find Commissioner Steinburg’s remarks below.

Commissioner Steinburg has no further comment concerning the Alex White matter as it remains under investigation. The quote previously reported in the media was about 20 seconds out of a 20 minute conversation, for an accurate report on that conversation the entire recording, created by a 3rd party, should be reviewed.”

The Douglas County Commissioner Meetings are livestreamed via Zoom, but apparently not archived by the county and available online. So I am filing a public records request for any video, audio or written record of the meeting to do the due diligence.

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The damage has been done though.

“What he said was really callous and heartless,” Veronica said. “I think we need to take better care of our vets. Everybody wants to be behind them until they show they’re human.”

The investigation into the shooting that left White dead on the morning of May 7 is still ongoing. The officers involved in the shoot have been cleared to return to active duty.

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A screenshot from an East Wenatchee Police Department officer’s body cam during Steinburg’s 2021 DUI arrest.

This isn’t the first time Steinburg has found himself in the center of a controversy since being elected in 2016.

In June 2020, he brought his AR-15 onto the streets of Wenatchee with other members of the local militia who turned out to intimidate peaceful protestors marching in support of the Black Lives Matter movement after the police killing of George Floyd.

He and other militia members claimed they were doing it to protect businesses, but they were much more honest about their intentions in a Facebook group they were using to coordinate their intimidation campaign.

One protestor who marched recognized Steinburg after I tweeted about his remarks regarding White’s death and shared their recollection of him from the time.

Then in June 2021, Steinburg was arrested for driving under the influence in the parking lot of the East Wenatchee McDonald’s in the early morning hours of June 15. Employees of the McDonald’s called the police after Steinburg appeared intoxicated and called one of them “a fat bitch.”

The DUI charge was reduced to first degree negligent driving after Steinburg took an Alford plea, which is a guilty plea in which a defendant maintains their innocence, but admits that the prosecution's evidence would likely result in a guilty verdict if brought to trial.

According to Steinburg’s lawyer, he had no plans to resign because of that DUI arrest.

Steinburg’s decisions and behavior since being elected beg the question: is there any bridge too far for him and his fellow Douglas County Republicans?

If stalking and intimidating peaceful citizens with guns on public streets, being arrested for DUI at the local McDonald’s drive through and calling a local veteran who had been shot and killed in public a “son of a bitch” who “needed and deserved to be shot” are not cause for concern, embarrassment and resignation – what bridge is too far?