Judge rejects police request to dismiss Lyles lawsuit



SEATTLE -- A King County judge has rejected a request to dismiss a negligence claim in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed against the city of Seattle and two Seattle police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Charleena Lyles.

Multiple news outlets report Superior Court Julie Spector rejected a motion Tuesday brought by attorneys for Officers Jason Anderson and Steven McNew that was joined by the city.

Lyles, a 30-year-old mother of four children, was killed in her north Seattle apartment in June 2017 after calling the police to report a burglary. Officers said she abruptly attacked them with at least one knife.

Her death sparked protests, including allegations the shooting was racially motivated because Lyles was African American and the officers are white.

An attorney for the city, Ghazal Sharifi, said they are evaluating next steps.