SEATTLE, WA — A 30-year-old mother of four was shot and killed Sunday morning by two Seattle police officers inside an apartment building in the Sand Point neighborhood. Seattle police are saying that Charleena Lyles allegedly "confronted" the two officers while holding a knife, which spurred them to open fire on her. The officers had responded to Lyles' apartment on a report of a burglary.

Lyles' killing has raised serious questions about the officers' use of force. Lyles' family questions why the officers, who are white, resorted to opening fire on a black woman while her children were nearby. Seattle police in 2012 entered into a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to fix use-of-force and bias problems within the department.

The incident began around 10 a.m. Sunday when police were called to an apartment building along the 6800 block of 62nd Avenue Northeast on a report of a burglary. That address is the site of a transitional housing complex for homeless families run by Solid Ground. The building is east of Sand Point Way, inside the Magnuson Park complex.

Two Seattle officers responded to the location due to safety concerns, the department said in a statement. Lyles' family told The Stranger that she had recently been released from jail. However, the Seattle Times reported that police were originally called to the building on a report of a shooting.

"Although this was a typical burglary report, two officers were required due to information pertaining to this address that presented an increased risk to officers," the Det. Mark Jamieson wrote in a statement.

Police have released few details about what happened next. After the officers went to the floor where Lyles lived, police said that the two responding officers "were confronted by a 30-year-old woman armed with a knife" and then they both "fired their duty weapons." Lyles' children were inside an apartment near where she was shot.

The incident is under investigation by the department's Force Investigation Team. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray also issued a statement about the shooting.

"Our historic police reforms, from de-escalation training to civilian-monitored force review, are in place to address such crises. This will be fully investigated," he said. "The quality and integrity of the investigation will be reviewed by the federal monitoring team supervising our consent decree. We will work collectively with our consent decree partners and the Community Police Commission to ensure transparency throughout this process and offer support where needed."

Monika Williams, Lyles' sister, told The Stranger that police should not have responded with such force.

"Even if my sister had a knife in her hand, she weighs like nothing, even if she's soaking wet," 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?"

Watch: Seattle Police Shoot And Kill Pregnant Woman In Her Home

Image via Seattle police

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