By Lauren Girgis
The Seattle Times
SEATTLE — Seattle police have released body camera footage from officers who shot and killed a 46-year-old man in Sodo last week, showing the man appeared to pull out a gun and aim it at officers.
The 46-year-old man was identified by the King County medical examiner’s office as Jack Paleli.
The King County sheriff’s office, the agency responsible for investigating the officers’ use of force, said last week that police responded to reports of a man holding an ax in the area of Fifth Avenue South and South Holgate Street.
Body camera footage released by the Police Department shows the man walking throughout the intersection, apparently holding a bag and another item. Officers by their patrol vehicles tell the man he is detained and needs to put down the ax, which he does not do.
Don’t put your hands on me, in the name of the Lord,” the man yells at officers.
“We won’t touch you, but you still gotta stop so we can talk to you,” an officer said through a vehicle intercom.
A few moments later, the man jogs through the street and disregards another officer’s demands that he get on the ground. That officer states she is deploying a less lethal weapon.
Seconds later, in-car video shows the man, standing on the sidewalk, pulling from his hoodie pocket what appears to be a handgun.
“Hey, he has a gun, the officer exclaims. At least two officers shoot about a dozen times. Paleli appears to drop the gun as the first shot from officers is fired.
He died at the scene.
Court records show Paleli was charged twice in previous run-ins with police: in 2023 for allegedly trying to disarm and resist an officer, and in 2005 when he swung his elbows at an officer and tried to take their Taser.
Thursday’s shooting marks the first by Seattle officers since the federal consent decree was lifted last month. Under the decree, the Seattle Police Department released officers’ body camera footage shortly after shooting someone. Now, the Police Department is subject to the independent investigation teams that exist under state law.
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