Inquest jury says Williams didn't have time to drop knife, wasn't imminent threat

Relatives of a woodcarver fatally shot by a Seattle police officer have met with King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, asking him to charge the officer in the death of John T. Williams.

That private meeting took place Friday in Seattle. A spokesman for the John T. Williams Organizing Committee then read aloud a letter the family members delivered to Satterberg.

On Thursday, a coroner's inquest jury returned its findings in the Aug. 30 shooting, with just one of its eight members saying the carver posed any threat. Four jurors said Williams did not pose a threat and three others said they didn't know.

The jury was not asked to decide whether Officer Ian Birk committed any wrongdoing.

Evidence from the inquest will be forwarded to Satterberg to determine whether Birk should be charged. A decision is expected by mid-February.

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Witness accounts of what happened: Over a dozen witnesses to the shooting testified, but none reported seeing Williams act aggressively toward Birk or anyone else. "He was just walking downtown," said Thomas Sirgedas, who saw the shooting while walking to catch his bus home. "His pace never changed." Witnesses also testified (and as audio from the incident corroborates) that Birk never identified himself as a cop. "I didn't know it was a police officer and I didn't want to turn around and become the target of a random shooting," said Nancy Pushman, who was walking ahead of Williams on the block where he was shot. No witnesses reported seeing a knife in Williams's hand. Furthermore, no open knives were found near Williams's body—just two closed folding knives, both considered legal to carry according to city law.
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You could say <"Put the knife down"> three times but you couldn't add "Or I'll shoot"?
The concern was basically immediate, and I needed to respond as fast as possible.
Birk testified that he fired on Williams because he was 9.5 feet away. Police officers are trained to keep 21 feet between themselves and suspects armed with knives (or other sharp-edged objects), according to national police standards adopted by the SPD. However, by running up to Williams, Birk was the one who closed the distance to less than 21 feet.
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Williams wasn't facing Birk when shot. Another exchange:
Ford: You testified that Mr. Williams was staring right at you ?
Birk: That's what I recollect, yes, sir.
Do you know why, then, the bullet passed through the right cheek and out his left cheek?
Simply holding a closed knife was reason to shoot. Ford questions Officer William Collins, a 21-year SPD veteran:

Ford: Is a closed knife a similar threat to an open knife?
Collins: Absolutely. It's a major threat. To me, it's just as big as an open knife.
A closed knife is grounds for using a firearm?
I believe so... it can be opened in an instant. You can get your ears cut off and be stabbed. We don't get paid enough to be hurt....(more)