Police Shooting Closes MLK Jr. Way in Seattle
A police shooting closed parts of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South in Seattle overnight. The Seattle Police Department is investigating the incident and has stated that further details will be released as they become available.
- The man who was shot and killed has been identified as Christian Nelson. The incident took place around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday near the intersection of 42nd Avenue South and South Othello Street after police received a report of a shirtless man brandishing a firearm. - According to Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes, officers attempted to de-escalate the situation and used a 40mm sponge round before the shooting occurred. Body-camera footage released later shows an officer yelling "drop the gun" multiple times before about 13 shots were fired in eight seconds. - A bystander inside a nearby apartment was injured by debris after an officer's bullet shattered a window. Salish Sea Elementary School was also placed on lockdown during the incident. - The King County Force Investigation Team is leading an independent investigation into the shooting, which is standard procedure for officer-involved shootings. The Office of Police Accountability and the Office of the Inspector General are also involved in the oversight process. - Seattle has a civilian-led police accountability system established in 2017, which includes the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) that investigates complaints, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) that provides oversight, and the Community Police Commission (CPC) that offers community input. The OPA will make disciplinary recommendations to the Chief of Police upon completing its investigation. - The Seattle Police Department's use-of-force policy requires that officers use only the force that is "objectively reasonable, necessary, and proportional" to the threat. The policy also states that when safe and time permits, officers should use de-escalation tactics to reduce the need for force. - In response to situations involving individuals in crisis, Seattle has developed alternative response programs. The "CARE Team," consisting of community crisis responders, can be dispatched alongside police for calls involving mental or behavioral health crises that do not pose a threat of violence.
