SEATTLE (AP) — An attorney for the family of a First Nations woodcarver shot to death by a Seattle police officer says the man was struck by four bullets on his right side. Attorney Tim Ford tells The Seattle Times that indicates that 50-year-old John Williams was not facing the officer in the Aug. 30 incident.
The Times says Ford provided an autopsy report on Williams. He questions whether Williams posed a threat.
Seattle police have previously said that Officer Ian Birk fired four rounds from a distance of nine to 10 feet after warning Williams to drop a 3-inch knife he used for carving. However, officials have not said where Williams was struck, how many times or the precise positions of Birk and Williams.
Police spokesman Sgt. Sean Whitcomb says he can’t comment on the autopsy results because of confidentiality rules.
