ChuckUFarley
Regular Member
KIRO Radio staff
King County prosecutors won't file criminal charges against Officer Ian Birk in the fatal shooting of Native American woodcarver John T. Williams, sources tell The Seattle Times.
The Prosecutor's Office is reportedly expected to announce the decision in a news conference on Wednesday.
Dan Donohoe, with the Prosecutor's Office, told KIRO Radio on Tuesday, "We're very close to wrapping up our investigation and will have an announcement soon."
According to The Seattle Times, Seattle Police Chief John Diaz will also hold a news conference to discuss the findings from the Firearms Review Board.
Officer Birk has been on paid administrative leave since the shooting on August 30, 2010.
On Jan. 20, an inquest jury announced it was split on whether Williams was a threat to Birk before he shot and killed him.
Jurors were asked to answer 19 questions after hearing testimony for nearly two weeks.
One juror answered "yes" to the question, "Did John T. Williams have sufficient time to put the knife down after Officer Birk's order?" Four jurors said "no" and three said "unknown."
Prosecutors used the jury's findings to help decide whether to file charges against Birk.
Birk said he knew there wasn't something quite right with Williams when he first spotted him walking near the intersection of Boren Avenue and Howell Street.
"The way that he was carrying himself, his posture, the gait of his walk was consistent with people I observe suffering from some sort of impairment," Birk said.
He also said he clearly saw Williams with a knife in the open position, but the lead investigator on the case told the jury earlier Tuesday that the knife was closed when it was found at the scene.
King County prosecutors won't file criminal charges against Officer Ian Birk in the fatal shooting of Native American woodcarver John T. Williams, sources tell The Seattle Times.
The Prosecutor's Office is reportedly expected to announce the decision in a news conference on Wednesday.
Dan Donohoe, with the Prosecutor's Office, told KIRO Radio on Tuesday, "We're very close to wrapping up our investigation and will have an announcement soon."
According to The Seattle Times, Seattle Police Chief John Diaz will also hold a news conference to discuss the findings from the Firearms Review Board.
Officer Birk has been on paid administrative leave since the shooting on August 30, 2010.
On Jan. 20, an inquest jury announced it was split on whether Williams was a threat to Birk before he shot and killed him.
Jurors were asked to answer 19 questions after hearing testimony for nearly two weeks.
One juror answered "yes" to the question, "Did John T. Williams have sufficient time to put the knife down after Officer Birk's order?" Four jurors said "no" and three said "unknown."
Prosecutors used the jury's findings to help decide whether to file charges against Birk.
Birk said he knew there wasn't something quite right with Williams when he first spotted him walking near the intersection of Boren Avenue and Howell Street.
"The way that he was carrying himself, his posture, the gait of his walk was consistent with people I observe suffering from some sort of impairment," Birk said.
He also said he clearly saw Williams with a knife in the open position, but the lead investigator on the case told the jury earlier Tuesday that the knife was closed when it was found at the scene.