Judge lets key claim stand in suit over deadly Seattle police shooting of Charleena Lyles
From Seattle Times: After her death, a photo of Charleena Lyles and flowers were placed outside the apartment building where she had lived at Magnuson Park. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times)
SEATTLE TIMES
February 27, 2018
By Steve Miletich
smiletich@seattletimes.com
Twitter @stevemiletich
Attorneys for Officers Jason Anderson and Steven McNew unsuccessfully argued there was no basis for negligence allegations, either in the officers’ planning before contacting Lyles or in their interaction with her.
A King County judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss a key negligence claim in a wrongful-death lawsuit brought against the city of Seattle and two Seattle police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Charleena Lyles last year.
Without comment, Superior Court Judge Julie Spector rejected a motion brought by attorneys for Officers Jason Anderson and Steven McNew that was joined by the city.
Lyles, a 30-year-old mother of four children, was shot in her Northeast Seattle apartment on June 18 after she reported a burglary and, according to the officers, suddenly attacked them with one or two knives.
Her death sparked protests, including allegations the shooting was racially motivated because Lyles was African American and both officers are white.