SEATTLE (AP) — A witness has contradicted the account of a Seattle police officer who shot and killed a woodcarver as he crossed a street last summer, saying the man did not appear to pose any threat to the officer.
Officer Ian Birk testified before an inquest jury this week that he had no choice but to fire after 50-year-old John T. Williams brandished a knife and prepared to attack him.
But The Seattle Times reports that passerby Deanna Sebring told the jury Thursday that Williams did not hold up the knife or do anything threatening before the officer killed him.
Audio and video recordings from Birk’s cruiser show that the officer got out of the car, ordered Williams to drop the knife, and then quickly shot. The small knife was found on the ground in a closed position by Williams’ body.
