MARYSVILLE — Former Marysville Police Officer Derek Carlile was fired by the city of Marysville in May of this year, after his daughter died in March of last year from being shot by a handgun that he’d left unattended, but the Marysville Police Officers Association has filed a grievance on Carlile’s behalf and an arbitration hearing is tentatively set for this fall.

According to city of Marysville Chief Administrative Officer Gloria Hirashima, the arbitration hearing looks likely to take place in October, although she can’t confirm an exact date yet, and the respective attorneys for the city and the Marysville Police Officers Association are still working out the details of who will serve as the outside arbitrator.

“There’s not a lot to say about it at this point,” said Hirashima, who confirmed that the Marysville Police Officers Association filed its grievance on May 30, after the city announced Carlile’s firing on May 6. “We’re following the dispute process outlined by our labor contract, and we’ll abide by the ruling of the hearing officer who serves as our outside arbitrator.”

Carlile was sworn into the Marysville Police Department on Sept. 28, 2009, and placed on paid administrative leave shortly after the March 11, 2012, death of his 7-year-old daughter, who was shot the day before by her 3-year-old brother, when Carlile left his children unattended in the family van with his unsecured handgun.

The Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office charged Carlile with second-degree manslaughter on May 22, 2012, to which he pled not guilty at a June 5, 2012, arraignment in Snohomish Superior Court, but prosecutors declined to retry the case after it ended in a mistrial on Nov. 13, 2012, due to a deadlocked jury.

The Marysville Police Department’s internal affairs investigation into the case began on Jan. 8 of this year, making sure to wait until after the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office had completed its own investigation, after which the city of Marysville announced Carlile’s firing.

Carlile was fired for committing a negligent act,  endangering himself or others, not promoting a positive image as a police officer and conduct unbecoming a police officer.

“It’s a very difficult position for a lot of people,” Hirashima said. “It’s a true tragedy all the way around. We’re just looking to try and make a decision here, but we’re very sympathetic to all the individuals involved, including Carlile and his family.”