Family demanding answers after man killed by Bothell police

BOTHELL, Wash. — The family of 25-year-old Juan Rene Hummel, who was shot and killed by Bothell police, said they want answers on what exactly led up to the killing on July 29.

Police said Hummel went toward an officer with a knife, but his family is calling what happened murder. The family’s attorney said Hummel was shot three times in the back.

Hummel’s parents and three of his siblings came to Bothell City Hall on Wednesday to drop off a pile of 50 letters written by people in the community who shared what Rene Hummel meant to them.

“We miss him tremendously,” said Raquel Hummel, his mother. “My heart is broken, and I can’t bear it. My son’s life matters,” she said.

The family is desperate for answers, and they’re now speaking out.

“I want them to tell us why. I also want justice,” Raquel Hummel said.

“We are deeply hurt that my brother’s life ended and that he was murdered,” said Ruby Hummel, his older sister.

The Snohomish County Multiple Response Agency (SMART) is the third-party police agency investigating this shooting. It said someone called 911 to report a man slashing tires in the neighborhood near 228th Street Southeast and 20th Avenue Southeast on July 29.

An officer responded, and things escalated.

“The suspect came towards the officer with a knife,” said Julie Moore with SMART on the day following the shooting. Investigators said a knife was recovered on the scene.

But the family’s attorney is questioning exactly what happened and said they’ve found no evidence of any tires slashed.

“There has been no corroboration of that we’ve been able to find. None of the witnesses saw or heard about any slashed tired,” said Braden Pence, the family’s attorney. “Police officers show up, and the shooting happens — within seconds, it sounds like,” Pence said.

The Hummel family said Rene Hummel had a mental health history but also had treatment and medication and was living a stable life with his family. They said they had all eaten dinner together, and Rene Hummel was out for a usual walk on his usual route when the unimaginable happened just blocks away from their home.

“Mental illness didn’t stop him from being my role model,” said his 15-year-old sister, Esmerelda Hummel. Each family member spoke with tears in their eyes.

They describe Rene Hummel as someone who loved learning, new technology, fishing and posting content on his YouTube channel. But they said that above all, he loved his family.

“Rene taught me to never give up and never be scared to ask for help,” said Jasmine Hummel, his 12-year-old sister.

They believe he was in need of help and possibly having a crisis when he was killed.

“The police should’ve been there in his time of need, and they weren’t,” said Ruby Hummel, his sister.

Rene Hummel had a few minor run-ins with the law, including a misdemeanor case that was dropped and another case that was transferred to the mental health court.

The SMART team said investigators were waiting on lab results from the Washington State Patrol and that would be a “big part of the puzzle” but didn’t specify what kind of lab results they were waiting on.

The Bothell Police Department and multiple city leaders had no comment on Wednesday on the family’s request for condolences.

The family’s attorney said a lawsuit was not being worked on at this time but added that litigation is possible.

Cox Media Group