Seattle Police Release Dashcam Video Of Woodcarver's Shooting

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=956_1292627716 ^

[Orange1998]

A dash cam video from the officer who shot and killed Native American woodcarver John T. Williams was released Friday, showing Williams ambling slowly across the street in a crosswalk before the officer opens fire.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=956_1292627716

[TigersEye]

Have a good life said the sponge to the brick. lol

[TigersEye]

He was sued for something he did not something he failed to do. Wasn’t that your original contention? That ignoring someone who later committed a crime would result in liability for the officer?

[muawiyah]

I think your question just pinned down my guess on the location ~ it's about 2 blocks from cop central in the throbbing heart of downtown Saddle City.

They probably could have had even more cops there if they'd wanted.

There's more than one outpatient center for the deaf, blind, handicapped, crippled, torn up, messed up, poor and or released felon services. A regular social services area ~ so you're going to have a heavy police presence anyplace like that ~ both because it's their home base and because you have a lot of troubled people roaming around.

[muawiyah]

Remember the Seattle case last year ~ maybe year and a half ago ~ student playing with paint guns or something ended up shot to death by Seattle cops in front of his garage ~ (that’s what I recall) ~ was this cop involved in that one?

[takenoprisoner]

Might not have a constituional duty, but guess who still gets sued and goes to jail for not doing his duty?

Cap'n, regarding this case, I call BS.

OTOH, if the cop saw the carver carving on someone, and did nothing, then he might be sued for dereliction of duty. Good luck winning it, though.

The USSC says the cop has no Constitutional duty to protect the victim being carved on. But again, in this case, the victim was a piece of wood.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Officer who killed woodcarver: ‘I was not left with any options’
http://www.katu.com/news/local/113389034.html

(excerpt)
SEATTLE – For the first time since he fatally shot a woodcarver, Officer Ian Birk took the stand.

Strained looks crossed the faces of Birk and his wife as the courtroom heard exactly what transpired in the seconds leading up to the moment John T. Williams was shot and killed.

Then it was Birk’s turn to take the stand.

“And I immediately noticed he had a knife in his hand. That time of day, being downtown, that caused me to be concerned,” he said.

King County ordered an inquest into Birk’s shooting of Williams last August, which was captured by the dash cam in Birk’s patrol car.

The footage shows Williams cross the street in front of Birk’s patrol car, carving knife in hand.

Birk said Williams seemed to be in an altered mental state. He said he ordered Williams to put the knife down, then opened fire when the man refused.

“At that time, I was not left with any options other than to fire at Mr. Williams, which I did,” he said.