(McKenzie County, ND) — A McKenzie County deputy will not face disciplinary action or criminal charges after a fatal shooting in Watford City. Investigators say Sergeant Daniel Halonen shot and killed 65-year-old Walter Fitzwater after the man told deputies he was armed with a gun. Non-lethal devices were initially deployed to detain Fitzwater but were unsuccessful. The shooting happened last March near the 23-hundred block of 124th Q Avenue. Five attorneys from McKenzie, Griggs, and Williams counties reviewed the incident and concluded that lethal force was justified.
