Che Taylor Shooting: Satterberg Won't Charge Seattle Officers

SEATTLE, WA - King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg announced on Tuesday that he will not charge the Seattle police officers who shot and killed Che Taylor during an attempted arrest last year.

Seattle officers Michael Spaulding and Scott Miller opened fire on Taylor, 46, on Feb. 21, 2016 as they were attempting to arrest him. The officers were part of an undercover drug operation in Seattle's Wedgewood neighborhood. Believing Taylor was armed, the officers opened fire after he allegedly did not obey commands.

Police have testified that they found a gun on the floor of Taylor's car after the shooting; Taylor was a convicted felon, and not allowed to possess a gun.

The shooting has been the subject of an inquest in recent months. A majority of jurors serving on the inquest panel agreed that Taylor did obey the officers' commands, but also agreed that the officers believed he posed a serious threat.

Satterberg said Tuesday that there was sufficient evidence available to show that the officers acted in self defense. Here's Satterberg's full statement:

"In order to prosecute Seattle officers Miller or Spaulding for any degree of homicide arising from the shooting death of Che Taylor, the state would have to disprove that the homicide was legally justified as well as the police officer good faith exception. In light of the investigative materials, the video evidence, the testimony of the witnesses at the inquest, and the jurors' answers to the court's interrogatories, there is insufficient evidence to overcome this complete defense as defined by the statute. As a result, we decline to file any criminal charges."

At the time of the shooting, Seattle police were not investigating Taylor, but were conducting surveillance on another person. Officers testified that they spotted Taylor armed about 45 minutes before the shooting, but then lost track of him.

Seattle police released a video of the shooting, which shows two officers approach Taylor as he bends to get down on the ground. Taylor's actions are blocked by his car, but moments after he appears to obey their command, the officers open fire.

Image via Seattle police