Seattle police shot and killed a pregnant woman who was reporting a burglary in front of her children caused tension among citizens.
Arriving on a burglary report in Seattle, police fatally shot Charleena Lyles, a 30-year-old black American woman who also a mother of four.
Police said in a statement that the incident occurred after Lyles reported a burglary Sunday morning.
It was stated that when police arrived on the scene, Lyes was “armed with two knives,” and that the young woman lost her life after two police officers shot her.
A victim of police violence, Lyles was pregnant and one of her children has Down’s syndrome which requires constant care and attention.
The incident was condemned by many non-governmental organizations across the country. The reactions focused on the fact that the Seattle Mental Health Court deemed the victim “was not capable of possessing a gun” since she was receiving psychotherapy treatment, and that police used their weapons although they were informed and Lyes was only holding a knife.
According to statistics, 213 people were killed by police violence in Seattle between 2005-2014.
Hundreds of people reacted to the incident met in front of Lyes’ house and organized a peaceful protest.
The protest was held under the leadership of the “Black Lives Matter” civil society movement, which was founded in 2013 with the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag on social media as a reaction towards violence committed against black Americans.
“Black Lives Matter” and "#SayHerName, Charleena Lyles" slogans were chanted in the protest which ended on a peaceful note.
Seattle police stated that the victim was shot as she was holding a knife starting towards the police.
Retaliating against the police officers’ statement that they defended themselves in face of a “life-threatening situation,” the victim’s sister Monica Williams reacted to the police on local media, saying “Police could have easily restrained her. Even I could have done so.”
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said the incident was a "tragedy,” and promised a full, independent and transparent” investigation.
