Inquest begins into officer's fatal shooting of Native wood carver

Tuesday, January 11, 2011  

An inquest began on Monday into the fatal shooting of John T. Williams, a traditional Native woodcarver, by a police officer in Seattle, Washington.

Williams, 50, was a member of the Dididaht First Nation of British Columbia. He was shot four times by Officer Ian Birk on August 30, 2010.

The inquest will help recommend whether criminal charges are warranted against Birk, who said he fired his weapon because Williams refused an order to drop his carving knife and a piece of wood. Williams was often seen in parks in Seattle working on his wood.

The inquest jury was shown a police video of Birk pointing his gun at Williams. Another police video shows Williams crossing a street in front of Birk's vehicle. The actual shooting was not captured.

The Seattle Police Department's Firearms Review Board has already issued a preliminary finding that the shooting wasn't justified.

Get the Story:
New police video emerges at Williams inquest (The Seattle Times 1/11)
Detective says officer followed training when he shot woodcarver (The Seattle Times 1/11)
Inquest into police shooting of woodcarver will answer some questions, but leave tough decisions for others (The Seattle Times 1/10)

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