Former Seattle Police Officer Ian Birk was dismissed resigned from his job in February after the department’s firearms review board ruled that his shooting of John T. Williams was “unjustified.” While prowling Seattle’s streets last August 30, Birk saw Williams in a crosswalk carrying a knife and a block of wood.  Birk burst from his police cruiser and demanded that Williams drop his knife. No more than four seconds passed between Birk’s demand (it wasn’t a lawful order, because Williams wasn’t  threatening anybody) that he drop the knife, and the first of several gunshots fired by the officer. The entire … Continue reading No-Fault Police Murder in Seattle