An inquest into the death of Charleena Lyles is scheduled for next month.
Lyles was shot and killed by Seattle Police in 2017. Police were responding to a 911 call she made claiming there was a break-in. Officers say she came at them with a knife and that’s when they opened fire.
Even though the family settled with the city for $3.5 million, changes to the state’s inquest procedure means officers can now be forced to testify and the jury will determine if they committed a crime.
On Thursday there was a pre-inquest hearing in which lawyers for one of the officers asked for a continuance. Administrator Michael Spearman wasn’t to happy. “The date was set, we were certain there were no conflicts,” he said. “It’s perturbing that it’s brought at this juncture.”
But Spearman said they will attempt to make an accommodation.
The inquest is now scheduled for late June.
