King 5 News

September 8, 2017
By Heather Bosch
Twitter heatherbosch

The lawsuit calls Lyle's June 18 death "unnecessary, horrifying and preventable."

The family of Charleena Lyles filed a wrongful death lawsuit Friday against the two Seattle officers involved in her shooting.

The lawsuit calls Lyle's June 18 death "unnecessary, horrifying and preventable."

Lawyers for Lyles' estate said they will add the city of Seattle to the lawsuit once the city has run out of time on a claim the family filed last month.

Attorney Karen Koehler said the family will not participate in any King County inquest into the deadly shooting, calling it a "sham proceeding," that favors the police. 

Attorneys representing Lyles' sisters and cousins disagree, saying they will participate otherwise the public will only hear a "one-sided story" told by the police officers.

Lyles was fatally shot by two Seattle police officers who responded to a burglary call at her apartment on June 18. The officers said Lyles confronted them with a knife and they opened fire.

An autopsy released by Koehler showed Lyles was shot seven times. One bullet grazed her uterus and another struck the fetus of a boy. She was four months pregnant.