Police audio recordings from fatal Gas Works Park shooting released; victim identified

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Police Department on Thursday released police audio recordings from the fatal Gas Works Park shooting a day earlier.

Two officers fired multiple times on 42-year-old Larry Andrew Flynn , who allegedly threatened them with a broken glass bottle early Wednesday morning.

Flynn later died at the hospital. His manner of death was ruled a homicide by multiple gunshot wounds

In the recording, officers can be heard calling for a Crisis Intervention specialist to calm the agitated Flynn who, minutes later, threatened to ignite a gas can and then charged officers, while armed with a broken wine bottle.

Two officers then opened fire, fatally wounding the Flynn.

The recordings contain coarse language and discretion is advised.



TEXT BELOW FROM EARLIER STORY:

According to Seattle police, three officers were patrolling the park shortly after 2:30 a.m. Wednesday when they were approached by a park security guard who said a drunk man assaulted him. When police approached the suspect, who was hanging around an illegal campfire in the park, the man allegedly broke a glass bottle he was holding and threatened police with it.

Police used two Tasers on the the suspect, assistant police chief Nick Metz told the media during a briefing at Gas Works Park following the shooting, but the effort proved ineffective. Police said the man lunged at the officers, so they opened fire, striking him multiple times.

The suspect had moved so close to the officers, police said, he was touching one of the cops when he fell to the ground.

An officer fell during the shooting, but was not injured, Metz said.

Witnesses at the park were surprised the gunshots came from police.

"I was really shocked that we saw the cop car yet we heard the gun shots," one witness said. "We thought it was a civilian shooting someone else."

The two officers that shot at the man were placed on paid administrative leave.

Officers lined the park around 6:30 a.m. as police further investigated the shooting.