A citizen’s complaint has been filed by a coalition of Asian American Pacific Islander organizations and other community groups against the King County Sheriff’s Department in Seattle in the officer shooting death of Tommy Le.
The International Examiner reports the letter demands that the County Office of Law Enforcement Oversight review the processes and conclusions that led to the determination the shooting death of Le was justified.
“We just need to know how and why they came to that conclusion,” said Linh Thai of the Vietnamese Community Leadership Institute to the International Examiner.
In the summer of 2017, deputies ordered Le to put down what they said they thought was a knife. It was not a knife, but a pen. Officers fired tasers at Le when he failed to drop the pen. When the tasers failed to work, they fired bullets-killing him. An autopsy released by Le’s family revealed the 20 year old was shot in the back.
The groups who signed the letter were the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition, Asian Counseling and Referral Service, Vietnamese Community Leadership Institute, Casa Latina, OneAmerica, Public Defender Association, El Centro de la Raza, Not This Time, John T. Williams Organizing Committee, Mothers for Police Accountability, Vietnamese Friendship Association, and Tet in Seattle.
In a related matter, KING5 reports an executive order has been signed mandating changes to inquests into officer-involved deaths.
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The changes made were demanded by Le’s family and include providing families an attorney through the Department of Public Defense and testimony about whether the officer followed protocol.
“We, the family of Tommy Le, are pleased with the changes to the Inquest process announced today” Xuyen Le, Tommy Le’s aunt a said in a statement. “Our many concerns and efforts, echoed by so many in King County communities, were heard and seen. Today, we encourage King County Executive Dow Constantine and the King County Sheriff to take the next honorable step, and replace future Sheriff ‘internal investigations’ regarding the use of deadly force, with independent investigations conducted by a neutral party. Only then, will the communities and constituents of King County be fully satisfied that truth will prevail.”
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RE: Complaint Filed Against Sheriff Department in Death of Tommy Le: Excellent. Power to the people! Justice for Tommy.