Charleena Lyles Killing: Police Release Video, Audio Of Shooting

SEATTLE, WA - An audio recording of the deadly confrontation between police and Charleena Lyles, 30, a mother of four, in a Seattle apartment Sunday morning reveals a sudden escalation and at least five shots fired. Seattle police released the 4-minute recording early Monday morning. Lyles was killed by officers Sunday morning in her Sand Point apartment after the officers had gone there to investigate a burglary.

On Monday night, police released a longer, 10-minute version of the audio from the interaction. The longer version includes more dialogue between the officers, and between the officers and Lyles. The longer version of the audio is more revealing, showing that at least one of the officers knew of a June 5 between Lyles and police where she was arrested after holding scissors near two officers.

The longer version of the audio also reveals more about the interaction between the police and Lyles in the seconds before the shooting. The longer version reveals that one officer asks for Lyles to be shocked with a Taser, and the other officer says "I don’t have a taser" seconds before the officers open fire.

The longer version of the audio is in the YouTube video below. We have also included a transcript of the tape at the bottom of this article.

The incident is under investigation, but police released a statement on Sunday saying that Lyles had "confronted" the officers while holding a knife. The officers, who are both white, have been placed on paid leave. Relatives of Lyles, who is black, believe that police were too quick to use deadly force.

"Even if my sister had a knife in her hand, she weighs like nothing, even if she's soaking wet," Lyles sister, Monika Williams, told The Stranger. "There's no way you could've taken a taser and taken her down? There's no way you could've taken a baton and knocked the knife out of her hand?"

Listen to the audio of the moments leading up to Lyles' shooting

The shorter tape begins with two officers discussing the person who called in the burglary. The officers discuss whether the caller has a "mental health caution," and point out that she has an "officer safety caution."

At least one of the officers appears to be familiar with Lyles and her family, saying, "Is the one with the three kids?" The other officer responds "yeah."

The officers then proceed up to Lyles' fourth-floor apartment. One of the officers greets someone in the hallway asking, "Hello, good morning, you called today?" A woman's voice answers "yes." The officers and the woman then discuss the burglary; the woman says that she ran out to the store and left her door unlocked, which is when the burglary happened.

The discussion about the burglary goes on for a few more seconds. At around 3:40 in the audio, a commotion breaks out. You can hear a child cry, and then the officers begin commanding, "Get back, get back!" A woman's voice can be heard responding to the officers' commands, but it's unclear what she is saying.

About 15 seconds passes between the officers' first orders to "get back" and when they open fire. Three of Lyles' children were in the apartment when the shooting occurred.

The audio was recorded via one of the officers' dashcam video systems. Some sections of the tape have been redacted to protect the identity of the caller.

Transcript of the longer audio recording via SPD

Officer 1: You got a chance to pull that report up?

Officer 2: Which report?

Officer 1: It’s on the 5th.

Officer 2: Oh, this person did a report?

Officer 1: No, no, no. The, she’s got officer safety info from June 5th.

Officer 2: What’s that?

Officer 1: She, the...she called for a DV. She let them in and then she started talking
all crazy about how she, the officers weren't gonna leave. And she had a giant pair of scissors and then
started talking about her—

Officer 2: Has she got a mental caution on her?

Officer 1: She’s got an officer safety caution.

Officer 2: Okay, but no mental on her?

Officer 1: She...no...

Officer 2: Okay.

Officer 1: ...but this is the first—I’ve been out there for another DV with her son. I don’t know if you were here.

Officer 2: Wait, is this the one with...

Officer 1: Yeah.

Officer 2: ...like the three kids?

Officer 1: Yeah, yeah. So this gal, she was the one making all these weird statements about how her and her daughter are gonna turn into wolves, and this was on the 5th.

Officer 2: Okay.

Officer 1: She might’ve just took a turn, so.

Officer 2: Okay.

Officer 1: So I'm like, eh, I gotta go up there. ‘Cause they said she was fine at first and then they were inside with her and she had this giant pair of scissors and wouldn't put them down. And then—

Officer 2: She’s alleging a possible burglary?

Officer 1: She said she had a burglary, yeah, that a burglary occurred, so.

Officer 2: Okay. Which unit is she in?

Officer 1: (Redacted).

Officer 2: I wonder if the son’s still around.

Officer 1: Well, that’s what I’m wondering, her husband and son.

Officer 2: Said something about sending him to live with her grandparents or something.

Officer 1: (Unintelligible)

Officer 2: Or something.

Officer 1: They arrested her that day.

Officer 2: They did?

Officer 1: Yeah. So. Apparently she was like between them and the door and (unintelligible).

Officer 2: Oh, she didn't wanna let them leave.

Officer 1: Yeah. Yeah.

Officer 2: Oh, golly.

Officer 1: So I'm like—

Officer 2: Don’t let her behind us. I thought you said, were saying that she wanted them to leave.

Officer 1: No, no, no.

Officer 2: And brandished the scissors.

Officer 1: No, like a—

Officer 2: Like a kidnapping.

Officer 1: Yeah.

Officer 2: Try, oh, geez, what is it?

Rings doorbell...

LYLES: Yes.

Officer 1: Hi, this is Officer (Redacted), Seattle Police Department.

Officer 2: There you go.

Officer 1: I remember when we went in for the (unintelligible) it was on the end unit.

Officer 2: Yeah.

Officer 1: What’s the address?

Officer 2: 430—

UNKNOWN: (Unintelligible) just got the caution for the general location.

Officer 1: Hello, good morning, did you call today?

LYLES: (Inaudible)

Officer 1: Okay. Hi, I’m Officer (Redacted), all right if we come in?

LYLES: (Inaudible)

Officer 1: Hi, so what’s going on?

LYLES: (Unintelligible) down here and had a, or a (unintelligible) someone broke into my house and took my things.

Officer 1: (Unintelligible) Was your (unintelligible)?

LYLES: Yeah, it was, and, um, I just ran out to the store so I left it unlocked.

Officer 1: Okay. Oh, Okay. Does anyone, do you have any idea who it might have been, or anything like that, or?

LYLES: I have no idea.

Officer 1: Okay. She said the door was unlocked.

Officer 2: You said the door was unlocked?

LYLES: Yes. (Unintelligible). It looks like they tried to (unintelligible)

Officer 1: And what’s your name real quick?

LYLES: Charleena, C-H-A-R-L—

Officer 1: And then is it Lyles?

LYLES: Yes.

Officer 1: L-Y-L-E-S?

LYLES: Yes.

Officer 1: Middle C., (Redacted)?

LYLES: Yes.

Officer 1: Okay. And then a contact number, (Redacted)?

LYLES: Yes. If you guys wanna come back here, there’s a (unintelligible).

UNKNOWN: (Unintelligible)

LYLES: (Unintelligible)

Officer 1: Okay. Was there anything else that was taken or gone through while you were gone?

LYLES: They went through like this (unintelligible) necklace with my gold...and this bag that I had open with my clothes and stuff on my bed. And the brown (unintelligible).

Officer 1: Yeah. So you said a X-Box was taken?

LYLES: Yes.

Officer 1: And then what was the (unintelligible)?

LYLES: (Inaudible)

Officer 2: Get back, get back, get back.

Officer 1: Fast back-up.

Officer 2: Get back.

LYLES: Get ready, motherf---ers.

Officer 2: We need help. (Unintelligible) a woman with two knives.

Officer 1: Hey, get back. Get back.

Officer 2: Get back. Tase her.

Officer 1: I don’t have a taser. Get back, get back.

Officer 2: Get back.

Officer 1: Get back.

Shots fired....

Officer 2: Suspect is down, we need officers on-scene, we need medics as well. We are not under control. Officer (Redacted), are you all right?

Officer 1: I’m all right, are you all right?.

DISPATCH: You’re unreadable.

DISPATCH: Shots fired. Suspect is down, (unintelligible) they’re not under control.

DISPATCH: Shots fired, 6818 62 Ave NE. They’re not under control. Fast back-up 6818 62 Ave NE. (unintelligible).

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