Attorney Questions System And Policies As Inquest Jury Determines That Officers Were Justified In Shooting Death Of Charleena Lyles
How is it that a young White man who walks into a crowd, a church, a grocery store, a school and begins the killing of innocent souls can be taken alive and even offered a meal from a fast food restaurant before taken into custody, but a Black man or woman minding their own business, buying Skittles, jogging, walking or sleeping in their beds or as in the case of Charleena Lyles, crying out for help, can be murdered in the streets or in their home by the very people that are responsible for their safety? The post Attorney Questions System And Policies As Inquest Jury Determines That Officers Were Justified In Shooting Death Of Charleena Lyles appeared first on The Seattle Medium.
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By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
How is it that a young White man who walks into a crowd, a church, a grocery store, a school and begins the killing of innocent souls can be taken alive and even offered a meal from a fast food restaurant before taken into custody, but a Black man or woman minding their own business, buying Skittles, jogging, walking or sleeping in their beds or as in the case of Charleena Lyles, crying out for help, can be murdered in the streets or in their home by the very people that are responsible for their safety?
This is a question Karen Koehler, attorney for the Charleena Lyles family, has asked over and over again. Unfortunately for Koehler this question remains relevant as an inquest jury found the officers involved in the killing of Lyles in 2017 were justified in their actions, and the family of Lyles still looking for justice in the death of their loved one.
Five years ago, two Seattle police officers responded to a report of a burglary at an apartment complex near Magnuson Park. The caller was a 30-year-old Black mother, Charleena Lyles.
Within minutes after arriving, officers Jason Anderson and Steven McNew shot and killed Lyles after, they claim, she cornered them in her kitchen, brandishing a small knife that she pulled from her pocket. Lyles, who was four months pregnant at the time, was shot seven times while three of her other children were in the home at the time of the incident.
“During the inquest proceeding a solid and unflinching ‘blue wall’ justified each and every action of its officers,” Koehler said.
“The family does not blame the jury for its decision,” adds Koehler. “SPD’s policies, practices and procedures are designed specifically to allow an officer to shoot and kill a person in mental crisis with a paring knife.”
The Lyles inquest was delayed because King County Executive Dow Constantine used his executive powers to amend the process after he ordered on inquest hearing for the case. A suit was filed by the city of Seattle and the police union in opposition to the changes, and ultimately, the state supreme court ruled that the changes were appropriate.
In accordance with the rules and structure of King County’s inquest jury system, the jury determined that the two officers were justified when they shot and killed Charleena Lyles and had no other reasonable alternative when they pulled the trigger.
The decision was met with an anguished outburst by Lyles’ father, Charles Lyles, who shouted, “[Expletive] you! [Expletive] you! You killed my daughter!” as he was expelled from the courtroom by inquest administrator Michael Spearman, who apologized to the six-member jury.
Koehler claims that the training and tactics used by police officers are ineffective when they are engaged with people experiencing a mental health crisis.
“In those circumstances officers are not trained to disarm,” says Koehler. “They are not trained to wound. They are trained to shoot to kill. The message is clear: if a person is in a mental health crisis and has any type of sharp-edged instrument, tool or weapon – do not expect them to survive if 911 is called in Seattle.”
“The process [of the inquest hearing] focused only on the officers, not on Ms. Lyles,” added Koehler. “The process was strictly narrowed to focus on the officers’ state of mind and not Lyles’ long history of mental illness. Despite requests for a fuller picture to be presented – including a forensic expert on the topic of her mental health – the scope was strictly narrowed. Ms. Lyles mental health was deemed irrelevant except for what the officers knew about her – which was not much at all.”
King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said the details revealed through the inquest process were “heartbreaking” and that his office will review the case in further detail in the coming weeks.
“In the coming weeks, we will review all of the admissible evidence that was presented at the inquest and the jury’s answers to each of the interrogatories and make a final charging decision,” said Satterberg.
The Lyles family and their attorney does not see any upside to the decision by the inquest jury. Koehler believes that the inability of the officers to address Lyles mental crisis signifies gaps in the system that need to be addressed.
“Charleena Lyles, a pregnant mother of four children with three at home, called the police for help,” Koehler recalls. “Then she went into mental crisis and was shot dead. The findings of the inquest are nothing for the SPD to be proud about.”
The post Attorney Questions System And Policies As Inquest Jury Determines That Officers Were Justified In Shooting Death Of Charleena Lyles appeared first on The Seattle Medium.
