King County Will Halt Police Shooting Inquests: Constantine

SEATTLE, WA - King County Executive Dow Constantine said Monday the county will temporarily stop police shooting inquests while a review committee considers possible changes to the inquest process. The county inquest process has been criticized recently for inadequately addressing public concern about whether police shootings are justified.

In December, Constantine put together a committee to study whether to change the inquest process. Monday's suspension means neither pending nor new inquests will move forward. There are five inquests before the county right now involving Charleena Lyles, Damarius Butts, Isaiah Obet, Eugene Nelson, and Tommy Le.

The county's inquest process allows a panel of six people who answer questions about the circumstances surrounding an officer-involved shooting. An inquest does not decide if an officer should face criminal or civil penalties, although the results are forwarded to the county prosecutor for review.

“In the interest of fairness to all those involved, we will pause all inquests as the Review Committee and community partners seek to better understand what works and what doesn’t, and recommend reforms,” Constantine said in a statement.

Caption: Andre Taylor, center, brother of Che Taylor speaks on Friday, Feb. 10, 2017 with Che Taylor's sister Devitta Briscoe, right, and Corey Guilmette, an attorney for the family, following a verdict in the inquest to Che's confrontation with two Seattle police officers at the King County Courthouse in Seattle. The inquest jury found that Che Taylor posed a threat to police before he was fatally shot.

Photo by Lester Black/Associated Press/The Stranger