Human Rights

Seattle Police Shoot And Kill Pregnant Woman In Her Home

Charleena Lyles called the police about a burglary in her home, and while the two officers were there, they say Lyles "confronted" them with a knife.

Seattle Police Shoot And Kill Pregnant Woman In Her Home
Courtesy of the Lyles Family and British Columbia Emergency Photography
SMS

Seattle police officers fatally shot a 30-year-old pregnant woman Sunday in her home while three of her children were in the house.

The Seattle Police Department released an audio clip of the shooting, and you can hear the two officers yell "get back" before the gunshots.

Charleena Lyles called the police about a burglary in her home, and while the two officers were there investigating, they say Lyles "confronted" them with a knife before she was shot and killed.

Lyles' family says the shooting was unnecessary and that Lyles suffered from mental health issues.

The Seattle Police Department has a history of excessive use of force, according to a Justice Department assessment. However, according to a federal monitor, it had become a "model of policing for the 21st century" in recent years.

In 2011, the U.S. Justice Department found Seattle police had "routine and widespread use of excessive force," and the police department entered a consent decree with the federal government for reform.

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Since then, the police department's use-of-force incidents dropped 60 percent, and a recent federal report says the officers have used de-escalation techniques.

Despite this glowing report, the Lyles family wants more answers from the department.

The two officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated.