Bruce Coval Meneley, a retired US Navy doctor, was killed by Seattle Police on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, during a sting operation conducted by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The 67-year-old suspect was shot and killed at the DoubleTree hotel in Tukwila, Washington. Body camera footage released by Seattle Police showed Meneley allegedly pulling out a gun from his jacket before officers fired about 30 shots at him.
Meneley had previously served as a Navy captain and doctor at Guantanamo Bay and as the commander of the NATO Role 3 multinational medical unit in Afghanistan. He left Guantanamo Bay in 2009 and his NATO position in 2012.
The suspect was under investigation by Washington’s Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce and was accused of attempting to meet with two girls aged 7 and 11.
The Seattle Police Department, as the head agency for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, was leading the investigation into Meneley’s actions.
The suspect had a criminal history related to sex crimes, having been arrested during a human trafficking/prostitution sting in Bremerton in 2017. Meneley admitted during an interview with detectives at the time that he had been arrested for a similar offense in Texas years prior.
The officers involved in the shooting will be placed on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues.
The Tukwila Police Department is investigating the assault on the officers, while The Seattle Police Department Force Investigation Team reviews the incident. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Meneley’s death a homicide, citing multiple gunshot wounds as the cause of death.
