The investigation continues after Burien resident Derrick Ameer Ellis-Cook was shot and killed by police last Saturday.
His family is looking for answers amid their grief.
“I want to know why they killed my son. I just want to know why. What happened?” said Irma Ellis-Smith, the victim’s mother. She tells KIRO 7 she saw her son only hours before the shooting.
On Saturday, officers with the Burien Police Department responded to an apartment on Roseburg Avenue South after receiving reports of shots fired during a domestic dispute.
Upon arriving at the apartment, police found that the individuals reportedly involved in the incident had fled the scene.
A few minutes later, officers spotted a person who matched the description of one of the individuals involved in the incident. The Ellis-Cook family believes that man was Ellis-Cook.
Surveillance video obtained by KIRO 7 News from a nearby business shows a man, who family members have identified as Ellis-Cook, walking along the sidewalk. Seconds later, police cars closed in and shots were fired.
Authorities have not said exactly what caused the officers to fire their weapons.
“I started hearing the shooting and then I got down on the ground,” a witness, who wishes to remain anonymous, said. “And then I heard that they said, ‘I got him, I got him.’”
Ellis-Cook was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured.
The witness tells KIRO 7 that she believes Ellis-Cook was the first one to shoot, but she said she can’t be certain.
“I’m not a professional, but that’s what it looks like.”
She recalls hearing multiple gunshots.
However, the Ellis-Cook family said they believe the man was unarmed during the shooting, something police have not answered.
Jim Fuda, with Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound, reviewed the video for KIRO 7. He believes the first shot comes from where Ellis-Cook was standing in the video.
“If those are in fact, gunshots, the flashes that we see… then that looks very justifiable to me, " Fuda said. However, he said it’s difficult to be certain who fired first, which is why investigations are crucial.
The four Burien police officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave.
Detectives with the Valley Independent Investigative Team are now investigating the shooting and the Des Moines Police Department is the lead investigating agency.
The Ellis-Cook family told KIRO 7 they are looking for answers and justice, with plans to protest outside the Burien Police Department this weekend. Additionally, they have set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for funeral expenses.
Ellis-Cook leaves behind two daughters.
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