The inquest into the killing of Malik Williams ended on July 22 with a determination that none of the seven Federal Way police officers involved had caused his death by criminal means.
All six jurors in the interrogatories reached the decision unanimously in the 2019 case. It should be noted that the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is different from the prosecutor’s office, and to date, the outcome of an inquest has not had any bearing on the office’s decision to prosecute or not prosecute, said Cameron Satterfield, communications manager for the county’s Department of Executive Services.
Williams died in the parking lot of the South Ridge House Apartment Complex in Federal Way on Dec. 30, 2019. On that day, while Williams sat in the passenger seat of a vehicle, seven police officers shot at Williams after he allegedly reached for a firearm after officers told him to put down his gun multiple times. All the officers involved on the scene were part of the Federal Way Police Department: Charles Hinkle, Cody Robertson, Richard Graham, RB Blackshear, Austin Rogers, Nicholas Lara and Alex Clark.
On day one of the inquest, according to testimony from FWPD Officer Hinkle, Williams drank beer and smoked a cigarette with a gun on his lap while Hinkle told him to put his hands on the dashboard. Following this, Hinkle said Williams reached for his firearm, and he subsequently shot at Williams.
Inquest administrator Marcine Anderson said that Williams received three wounds, with only one to his head being lethal, and Officer Hinckle and Officer Lara suffered non-lethal bullet wounds. Additionally, Anderson said that the Washington State Patrol crime lab analyzed evidence obtained by investigators and concluded that the firearm found next to Williams in the vehicle he was in was fired multiple times. It was also concluded that the bullet recovered from Williams’s head was fired from the firearm belonging to Officer Rogers.
What is an inquest?
In King County, an inquest is held any time law enforcement may have contributed to someone’s death. Inquest administrator Marcine Anderson said in King County, an inquest investigation occurs in a public hearing where the jury listens to evidence about what happened, then answers questions called interrogatories about the facts and circumstances related to the person’s death. They then will deliberate. Interrogatory questions included who died, how he died, whether any law enforcement officer used force against Williams, and if so, whether the use of force caused Williams’s death.
Additionally, the questions ask what law enforcement policies and trainings applied to the officers, and whether the actions of the officers were in compliance with the police department policies and training. The inquest also seeks to determine whether the actions of the officers were justifiable or excusable as defined by Washington law at the time of the incident.
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