Overview
On August 30, 2010, John T. Williams, a Native American woodcarver, was shot four times by Officer Ian Birk of the Seattle Police Department. Williams died at the scene. The shooting was ruled "unjustified" by the police department's Firearms Review Board. The department's actions were scrutinized by the United States Department of Justice as a result of the incident.
Biography
John T. Williams was born on February 27, 1960. A member of the Nuu-chah-nulth tribe, Williams lived variously during his childhood in Seattle, Victoria, and Vancouver, British Columbia. According to Williams' family, he was a seventh generation woodcarver. Williams had battled alcoholism during much of his adult life and had spent time at Western State Hospital, a mental institution in Pierce County, Washington.
Shooting
At about 4:15 p.m. on August 30, 2010, Birk was driving his patrol car and saw Williams near Boren Avenue and Howell Street. The dashboard camera of Birk's patrol car showed Williams walk "through the crosswalk, hunched over (with) something in his hands, then disappear(ing) offscreen". Birk emerged from his patrol car with his pistol drawn. Birk yelled, "Hey", "Hey… Hey!", "Put the knife down", "Put the knife down. Put the knife down!" Less than 5 seconds after the first "Hey", the sound of gunshots was recorded on the camera. Williams had been holding a "scrap of wood" and "a single-blade pocketknife". Officers who arrived on the scene after the shooting and nearby witnesses later observed that the knife Williams was carrying was closed.
Investigation
Birk stated to the Firearms Review Board that Williams appeared to be impaired, and that he had an open knife in his hand. Birk also stated that when Williams began to turn toward Birk that Williams was "brandishing" the knife in a "very confrontational posture" and that Williams did not obey Birk's orders to drop the knife.
Aftermath
Birk resigned from the Seattle Police Department on February 16, 2011, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn declared February 27, 2011, to be "John T. Williams Day" in the city. In 2011, The Halluci Nation recorded "Woodcarver". The song samples recordings from the shooting and the music video includes dashcam footage. In 2016, a crosswalk painted in the style of a white deer was unveiled at Boren Avenue and Howell Street, where Williams was shot, and dedicated to him.