"My name is Autumn Smith, widow of Christopher Scott Smith. I am writing to bring attention to his preventable death and the failures that allowed it to happen. For nearly three years, I have searched for answers—reviewing evidence, obtaining public records, and trying to understand why the agencies responsible for protecting the public did not prevent this outcome. On September 2, 2023, my husband, Christopher Scott Smith—the father of two of my children—was killed during an encounter with the owner of Aces Bail Bonds in Spokane, Washington. I believe his death resulted from an unlawful and unjustified use of force. Afterward, I began my own investigation and obtained video footage showing the moments before and after the incident. What I saw raised serious questions about the official account. The footage shows bail bondsman Rodger Betschart alone, with no law enforcement present, circling the residence where Chris and his girlfriend, Jennifer, had just moved in. When Chris stepped outside with a friend, Betschart pulled up, stopped in the street, and moments later was on top of Chris, striking him with an object witnesses later identified as the butt of a taser. Christopher’s autopsy documented severe injuries, including a broken nose and crushed eye socket, consistent with repeated blows from a blunt object. Those injuries match the witness statements what is visible in one of the many the videos. Betschart then used an armbar tactic and handcuffed Chris while witnesses heard Chris yelling for him to stop. In the midst the commotion, Chris’s friend ran inside to alert Jennifer. She rushed out with pepper spray, unaware that the man beating Chris was a bondsman. Betschart is required to wear a specific uniform under RCW 18.185.300; which was not visible when Jennifer acted in defense of Chris. Sh