Island First Nation Shocked By Shooting

SEATTLE -- It was rush hour on Monday when a Seattle Police officer noticed John T. Williams was holding a knife and slab of wood. "The officer, finding that peculiar, got out of his vehicle, made contact with this person, the male stood up and made advances toward the officer" says a spokesperson for the Seattle Police Department.

The three-inch carving blade Williams was holding is legal in Seattle, but still considered a deadly weapon. Police say the officer felt threatened when he asked Williams to drop the knife three times but he did not, and four shots were fired from a distance of three metres. The officer was not equipped with a taser.

Williams was a member of the Ditidaht First Nationon the shores of Nitijnat Lake. He was born in Seattle, and lived a life marked by alcoholism, mental health issues, and brushes with the law. But despite those troubles he is described by friends as a gentle soul and a talented carver. His work was once shown at a Seattle gallery.

Ditidaht Chief Councillor Jack Thompson travelled from the band's Vancouver Island reserve to Seattle Friday. He says Williams did nothing wrong, and had a hearing problem, which means he may not have heard the order to drop his knife. "It's really appalling about what happened to my relative because he was on the streets in the first place...alone in regards of trying to make a living, trying to live within the streets" Thompson says.

Others at the rally are calling for an inquest into the shooting, suggesting it was unjustified. "We are angry and outraged that his life was interrupted for seemingly no reason, and so callously disregarded. We are worried about our most vulnerable community members who suffer regular harassment and abuse on the streets of Seattle" says Jenine Grey of Chief Seattle Club.

The officer who fired the shots is on administrative leave while the incident is under investigation.

A candlelight vigil to remember the life of John Williams was held in Seattle Thursday night, and now only his carvings remain to offer a peek into a talented, but troubled life.

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