Seattle to pay $1.5-million to family of B.C. carver killed by police

The city of Seattle has agreed to pay $1.5-million to the family of John T. Williams, a B.C.-born wood carver who was shot and killed by a Seattle police officer last August.

Mr. Williams, a member of Vancouver Island’s Dididaht First Nation who had lived in Seattle for more than a decade, was shot four times by Seattle police officer Ian Birk on August 30.

In a police department review, Officer Birk testified he feared for his life in his encounter with Mr. Williams, who was carrying a knife and a piece of wood when he was shot. The Seattle Police Department’s Firearms Review Board in February found the shooting was unjustified.

The settlement between the city and the family was reached after mediation involving representatives of the Williams estate, Williams’s mother and the city, Seattle officials said Friday in a statement.

Under the terms of the agreement, $250,000 will be put in trust for Mr. Williams’s mother, Ida Edward, and $1.25-million will be paid to Mr. William’s estate. A court will approve distribution of the funds.

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