Family calls for federal probe into Che Taylor's fatal shooting by Seattle police



SEATTLE -- The family of Che Taylor is calling for a federal investigation into the man's killing by Seattle police after a gun allegedly carried by Taylor was linked to a former King County sheriff's deputy.

Seattle police say officers shot and killed Taylor as he bent down into an open car door and reached for a gun as they tried to arrest him Feb. 21. Taylor's family and supporters have condemned the shooting and disputed the police account, saying he was getting down to surrender when he was shot.

On Wednesday, the family, along with Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant, asked the Justice Department and the FBI to look into the case.

They are also asking that the state pass the John T. Williams Bill, which would amend current law governing police use of deadly force. Under current state law, a prosecutor has to prove malice and a lack of good faith by the officer in order to charge the officer in a shooting. The proposed bill would do away with that restriction on bringing charges against an officer.

According to a report from our news partner, the Seattle Times, in a recording shortly after the shooting, a woman is allegedly heard saying that Taylor pulled something from his pants that she assumed to be a handgun.

In a recorded interview, a firefighter said he had to cut a belt from Taylor that had an empty holster.