Seattle officer won't face charges in fatal shooting of man holding 1-year-old baby
SEATTLE - The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office determined that a Seattle Police officer who shot and killed a man while he was holding a 1-year-old baby will not face any charges.
Back on April 29, 2020, Seattle Police were called to the Rainier Playfield for a reported assault and shooting.
A woman told police that Shaun Fuhr, the man who was later killed, took her child, assaulted her, and tried to shoot her.
She said Fuhr previously assaulted her with a clothing iron, shot at her once while she was in her car, and shot at her again at the playfield.
Police noted serious bruising on the woman's arm, along with two fired cartridge casings, one in the woman's car and another at the playfield's basketball court.
Officers were advised of the woman's report, while other officers responded to a break-in at a construction site not far from where the assault and kidnapping occurred.
According to the report, officers located Fuhr near the construction site, but he ran away from police as they told him to stop.
Bodycam video of the incident shows Fuhr later walking towards one of the officers with one hand holding the baby and the other with his index finger extended, and his middle finger, ring finger, and pink finger curled.
Because of knowledge that Fuhr may be armed, the officer discharged his weapon, striking Fuhr, later killing him.
Investigators located a 9mm handgun between the trunk of a tree and retaining wall near where the officer shot Fuhr. Police say the headstamp on the cartridge in the chamber matched the cartridge found on the playfield.
After the shooting occurred, the Seattle Office of Police Accountability determined that no policies or laws were violated.
The report from the Prosecutor's Office says Fuhr, if not apprehended, posed a threat of serious physical harm to others. He was one of Washington's Top Ten Most Wanted just two years prior to this incident.
The report also states the involved officer used deadly force with a good faith belief that his actions were necessary to prevent death or serious physical harm to the officer or another individual.
The Prosecutor's Office states there is not enough evidence to disprove the defense of Justifiable Homicide by a Peace Officer.
It is now up to the state to decide if they want to prove that homicide was not justifiable in this case.