On August 30, 2010, 50-year-old First Nations woodcarver John T. Williams was shot and killed by Seattle Police Officer Ian Birk near Boren Avenue and Howell Street. Williams, a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth tribe and a seventh-generation carver, was carrying a piece of cedar and a small carving knife and was hearing impaired in one ear. Officer Birk fired five times, striking Williams four times; Williams died at the scene.

Dashcam footage showed less than five seconds elapsed between the officer’s first command and the gunfire. The Seattle Police Firearms Review Board ruled the shooting unjustified, yet King County prosecutors did not file criminal charges, citing state law then requiring proof of evil intent. Birk resigned the day after the prosecutor’s decision.

A federal civil rights probe was closed without charges. Williams’s family pursued a civil suit that resulted in a $1.5 million settlement. The shooting prompted wider scrutiny of the department and contributed to reforms and efforts to change Washington law on police use of deadly force.

Did anyone in Seattle who knew Williams or witnessed the incident come forward with further details?