It was May 24th, the early morning hours. I was asleep. My 14 year-old son and 17 year-old daughter were safely home. I remember waking up when my son came to my bedroom door. His voice clued me in that something was amiss.
"Ryan got hit by a car."
"Is he okay?" I mumbled, blearily.
"I don't know. But a bunch of the guys are down at the hospital."
"I hope he's going to be okay," I rolled over and went back to sleep, knowing how many times it has seemed like something huge was going on, only to find out it wasn't anything big, later.
Then I woke up in the morning. It wasn't overstated. Ryan, at age 15, had been struck by a police car speeding on a 35 MPH road, going at least 70, with no lights or sirens. The police car had grazed the rear tire of the bicycle, causing the bike to rip out from underneath him, and his head to make massively forceful contact with the asphalt of the road. Video and pictures show the bicycle, handlebars akimbo, lying on the street next to a large stain of Ryan's blood. I was sobbing before my son even awoke. I watched video of the police the night before stating that the officer involved was "very shaken up." Open and shut, right?
But no.....
The accident happened in May. It took them until NOVEMBER to release the results of the investigation. A car vs. bike accident where the police already admitted the officer struck the child took over 6 months to investigate? Yeah, right. But okay. We'll run with that.
Then, they didn't release the results of the investigation until January, 9 months after the accident and 2 months after the investigation was complete. Huh? They were definitely starting to stretch their credibility.
And the results? The officer didn't actually strike the child while traveling at 70 MPH in a 35 zone without lights or sirens going. After they initially admitted it, suddenly Ryan, on a bicycle, just wrecked while doing a wheelie with such force that his skull was crushed and doctors said that even if he had been wearing a helmet, it would have shattered and become shrapnel, causing more damage.
This is the same police force that decided (in it's infinite wisdom) to have someone from the police department attend Ryan's funeral and admonish the attendees to pray for the officer who caused the accident (that in January they turned around and said JUST KIDDING, he didn't really, our bad.)
Here is my question for the Spokane police department and prosecutors office: If Officer Joseph Bodman did NOT hit Ryan Holyk on May 23rd at 10:45 pm, why was he shaken up, and why did he need prayers for his state of mind?
No charges, no consequences. The law only applies to those who do not carry a badge.