SPD mock tombstone case given to Inspector General after OPA finds conflict of interest

SEATTLE — The Seattle Office of Police Accountability will no longer be investigating a high-profile misconduct case involving a makeshift tombstone displayed at a Seattle Police precinct after a conflict of interest was identified.

In July, a 2021 body cam video showed Seattle Police officers in a bicycle repair room at the East Precinct casually walking by a mock tombstone of Damarius Butts, a 19-year-old burglary suspect who officers shot and killed in 2017.

The video also showed a Donald Trump 2020 poster and a Black Lives Matter sign with what appears to be a red hat hanging from it.

“The department has got to get it together. They cannot afford to lose the trust any more than they already have. They look guilty,” said the Chair of the African American Community Advisory Council for Seattle Police, Victoria Beach.

On July 12, the OPA opened an intake investigation. During that time, OPA Director Gino Betts, Jr. discovered that a Seattle Police officer assigned to the OPA when the investigation was opened was among those accused of misconduct in the case.

“With all these investigations why are they waiting so long before they notify the public? Why weren’t we notified in July?” said Beach.

Though that officer is no longer assigned to the OPA, he had professional relationships with the OPA’s investigators and leaders.

Though that officer is no longer assigned to the OPA, he had professional relationships with the OPA’s investigators and leaders.

As a result, on Sept. 12, OPA Director Betts, Jr. referred the case to the Office of the Inspector General.

“I 100% trust our chief and he wants to have the best department and best officers but there are some that need to be weeded out,” said Beach.

Going forward, the OPA will not be involved in the investigation. They also would not respond to inquiries about how long they knew about the conflict of interest, why they held onto the investigation until September, or how the officer was involved in the misconduct.

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