A police shooting in Federal Way, Washington, that left a 19-year-old fighting for his life is facing renewed scrutiny. The young man's family and their attorneys have stepped forward publicly to demand answers about how a call for help ended in gunfire.
The shooting happened on the afternoon of 24 June, near Campus Drive in Federal Way. It began not with a report of a crime, but with a young man reaching out in distress.
According to authorities, the 19-year-old called 911 while in the midst of a mental-health crisis. He told dispatchers that he had a firearm and that he was thinking of taking his own life.
Federal Way police said officers arrived and found the man still armed. According to the department, officers first turned to less-lethal options in an effort to get him to surrender, but those attempts were unsuccessful and the encounter culminated in an officer-involved shooting.
The family, represented by their attorneys, framed the events differently. They said the young man had reached out hoping police would help him in a moment of need, and alleged that his grandmother — who was at the scene pleading with officers not to harm him — was moved away shortly before force was escalated to gunfire.
The teen was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition. An independent team of investigators from outside the Federal Way department has been brought in to review the shooting, a standard step for such cases in the region.
At the heart of the family's appeal is a request to see the body-worn camera footage said to have captured the moments before the shooting. Their attorneys said formal requests to preserve the evidence and to view the footage have so far gone unanswered, and they asked the public for prayers as the young man continues to fight for his life.