SEATTLE — An inquest into the police shooting death of Derek Hayden began this week.
Hayden was shot and killed by Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers on February 16, 2021.
The incident
One year after Hayden’s death, in February 2022, the Seattle Office of Police Accountability said an investigation showed that officers failed to de-escalate the situation.
According to the report, two Port of Seattle officers saw Derek Hayden holding a butcher knife to his throat.
The officers summoned help, and Seattle police officers responded. While the first group of officers began formulating a tactical plan while keeping a safe distance from Hayden, two more Seattle officers arrived and intercepted the man.
Those two officers stopped their patrol car in Hayden’s path, moved away from its cover, drew their weapons, and began giving Hayden commands, according to the OPA.
Hayden moved toward one of the officers with a knife in his raised hand and said, “Do it, please, just shoot me.” Both officers fired shots at Hayden, who was hit and killed.
OPA’s investigation found that the two officers “violated the SPD de‑escalation policy because they did not engage in any planning or tactical discussions, and their actions undermined the critical principles of time, distance, and shielding.”
By confronting Hayden with guns drawn, the officers eliminated the element of time, which is a crucial factor in de-escalation, the report states.
The report said, “If there is more time, there is more opportunity to gain compliance voluntarily, build rapport with the individual in crisis, or call in more resources. Had there been more time, the threat would have been minimal, and they could have taken as long as needed to reach a peaceful resolution.”
While the investigation found that both officers failed to de-escalate, it did not conclude that they violated the Seattle Police Department’s policy governing the use of deadly force.
The investigation found that the officers were allowed to fire their guns in defense after Hayden came toward one of them with a raised knife.
The OPA recommended that the officers be suspended without pay, one for three days and the other for a day.
The inquest
“State law gives county coroners broad authority to hold inquests into deaths that occur in their jurisdictions. An inquest is an administrative, fact-finding inquiry into the manner, facts, and circumstances of a death.
The purpose of an inquest is to shed light, in an open public forum, on the facts surrounding a death at the hands of law enforcement or corrections. A further purpose is to promote public understanding of these events in our community."
— King County
Yesterday, on April 1, 2026, the inquest began.
The most senior officer at the scene, Detective Garick Mattson, rewatched the shooting alongside the members of the courtroom.
“Everything happened really fast; it was a pretty stressful situation,” said Mattson after viewing the footage.
Mattson testifies that Seattle police officers communicated a plan to each other to take out lethal and non-lethal weapons when they arrived, but says that they didn’t have a lot of time.
The inquest will continue through Friday, June 5. To find more details, including a recording from each day, click here.
©2026 Cox Media Group
