Suspect shot at hotel identified as retired Navy doctor

Bruce Coval Meneley approached the hotel room thinking that he was going to have a sexual encounter. Instead, law enforcement officers exited the hotel room and attempted to approach him. Meneley took action that made the officers feel that they were under threat. This action resulted in three police officers shooting approximately 30 rounds into him. Meneley was a retired Navy doctor.

From Fox 13:

Meneley was a Navy captain and doctor who served at Guantanamo Bay, and he spoke with the New York Times in 2016 about the abuse of patients at the remote detention center. He was also the commander of NATO Role 3 multinational medical unit in Afghanistan.

Meneley left his role at Gitmo in 2009, then left his NATO role in 2012.

According to authorities, Meneley was being investigated by the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce. According to Police Chief Adrian Diaz, the suspect believed he was meeting up with two girls ages 7 and 11.

One officer was grazed by a bullet in the leg. Their injuries were minor and they were not taken to the hospital. No one else was injured.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by FOX 13 News, Meneley was charged with sex crimes in 2017, when he was arrested during a human trafficking/prostitution sting in Bremerton. Detectives posed as a sex worker online and agreed to meet up with Meneley, where he was actually met by Kitsap County Sheriff’s deputies. Meneley’s number was implicated in two separate prostitution operations, deputies reported.

Fox 13 provides additional information on the story here and here.

Category: Crime, Police, Society, Veterans in the news