I want you to know about the 17-year old girl, Hannah Williams, that was just brutally shot and killed by a Fullerton Police officer in Southern California. She was unarmed and non-violent.

This is her here with her father:

We are demanding that District Attorney Todd Spitzer meet with the family, release the name of the office involved (as required under California law), and release the body camera video of the shooting (also required by law there now). Please add your name immediately.

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Now let me break down this awful story for you.

In 2014, 2015, and 2016, stories of police brutality, including the names and stories of victims of police violence, not only dominated headlines in this country – they dominated headlines all over the world. But the election of Donald Trump changed all of that.

And for the past 2.5 years, from 2017 until today, most Americans would be hard pressed to name a single person killed by police – not because it has slowed down, but because the stories just aren’t being told anymore. And I need all of us to understand that the crisis of police brutality is as real and problematic today as it has ever been.

And one story that would be absolutely dominating the headlines right now (if Trump had not completely sucked the wind out of the news cycle) would be the horrific shooting death of 17-year old Hannah Williams this past 4th of July weekend by police in Fullerton, California.

My friend and brother, Attorney Lee Merritt and I are working directly with Hannah’s family. On the evening of Friday, July 5th, Hannah and her family were about to make the drive from Anaheim to Hollywood for a fun day trip when she took the family car to run an errand. As the family waited for Hannah to return home, she never returned.

In broad daylight, on the side of the highway, she was shot and killed by police – and to this day, six days later, the family has not been given any explanation as to what happened.

In the photo above, Hannah was so proud to have just been hired as a lifeguard at Knoxberry Farm for the summer. Her dad was so proud of her. She was the star of the family. They had only moved to Southern California 11 months ago but Hannah had already started building a huge network of friends, supporters and colleagues. Beyond being an elite swimmer, she was bilingual being fluent in Spanish. As a young queer woman of color, she was passionate about LGBTQ rights.

Most importantly, she was thriving. She was surrounded by a family that loved and supported her. She was excelling academically. She was gainfully employed and active as the captain of her soccer team. She was healthy, happy and loved.

One minute she was safe in her home preparing for a family trip to Hollywood. The next minute she was gone. Hannah should not have died like this.

All we know is that somewhere along State Route 91 Hannah’s vehicle seemed to have accidentally bumped into a police car while each vehicle traveled east along the highway. Neither vehicle sustained serious damage. This should’ve ended with them exchanging insurance information and her father being called to come get her.

Beyond this point the narrative offered by law enforcement goes completely dark in a way that I never seen before in my professional career. Law enforcement has offered no narrative whatsoever as to what happened after the relatively minor collision.

Body cam footage from the incident does exist. It must be released immediately. We need answers: Please add your name to our petition to DA Todd Spitzer now.

Love and appreciate you,

Shaun King

P.S. If you also have a minute to call the DA’s office, it would mean a great deal. Just dial (714) 834-3600 to demand that he meet with Hannah’s family, release the name of the officer involved, and release the body camera video of the shooting. Be respectful, but persistent. Ask to speak to a supervisor. Leave a message if you have to, ok?

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