SEATTLE — Emotional outbursts, a COVID scare and technical difficulties delayed testimony in the Charleena Lyles inquest for over four hours.
The two-week-long inquest is a fact-finding mission into what really happened back in June of 2017 after two police officers, Jason Anderson and Steven McNew, opened fire on Lyles inside her Magnuson Park apartment, mere feet away from her three young children. Lyles’ family members argue their use of force was unjustified, despite officers’ claims that the pregnant woman charged at them with a knife.
Proceedings got underway Wednesday around 9 a.m. Within less than 10 minutes, a recess was called after Lyles’ elderly father started yelling at the attorney defending the two Seattle police officers in question. That attorney, Ted Buck, argued before the jury that Lyles may have made up a burglary to lure police to her apartment because she wanted police to shoot and kill her.
Lyles’ cousin, Katrina Johnson, says since the start of the inquest, tensions have only escalated between SPD and the family, particularly after members of the SWAT team were sent to the King County Family Justice Center where the inquest is held. Buck says this was because Officer McNew reported to his chain of command he was threatened by Lyles’ family last week after proceedings had completed.
“You have no evidence that she was trying to commit suicide,” said Lyles’ father. “I’m tired of them saying that.”
“You didn’t send out patrol, regular uniformed cops,” said Johnson. “You sent out the Special Weapons and Tactics Team.”
“I think there’s an implication that the SWAT team rolled up in a BearCat and they had all their tactical gear on, that’s not what happened,” said Buck. “If an officer needs, for example, an escort to or from a highly charged event like this, that’s usually the SWAT team.”
Johnson believes what happened is an abuse of power by Seattle Police. She thinks it’s ridiculous to think that comments made by Lyles’ 80-year-old father would prompt that kind of overreaction.
“So if you’re afraid of an elderly man in a wheelchair, that lets me know that my 5-foot-3, 100-pound cousin didn’t have a fighting chance,” said Johsnon.
During that first recess, Buck tested positive for COVID-19. Testimony was suspended as members of the jury, other attorneys and spectators in the courtroom took rapid tests. Due to that series of delays, much-anticipated testimony from one of the officers in question, Jason Anderson, was pushed back.
The inquest continues Thursday.