FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — The family of a man shot and killed by Federal Way police is speaking out. They say he was in a wheelchair, and if police ordered him out of his car he wouldn’t have been able to comply.
“It's crazy that my brother is gone. I miss him very much,” said Marvin Walker.
Walker said his family has been struggling to understand how his younger brother, Malik Williams, could be killed by police.
“He was just 23 years old. It's just sad. The cops who did this wrongfully killed him. It's just a hard time for my family and I just want justice.”
KIRO 7 cameras captured the sound of gunshots and an officer crouching behind a police car for safety. It was just after midnight on Dec. 31 at the Southridge House apartments on 14th Ave. South in Federal Way. Police say someone called 911 for a disturbance.
Williams and a woman were arguing in the parking lot. For some reason, police asked for backup.
“During this encounter, our officer was shot, our officers returned fire,” explained Chief Andy Hwang just hours after the shooting.
Police now say evidence shows Williams fired five shots, which hit and wounded two officers, and also hit the window of a nearby apartment. Seven officers returned fire. Police say Williams was shot three to four times and died at the scene.
But Walker believes there is more to the story.
“He's in a wheelchair. He can't get out the car unless somebody helped him,” said Walker.
He says his brother had been in trouble with police in the past but had just gotten a new job, new housing, and loved playing wheelchair basketball.
“My brother didn’t deserve to get shot in the head. And he’s in wheelchair. Come on, now,” Walker added.
KIRO 7 asked police if they knew he was in a wheelchair. They said he wasn't in a wheelchair at the time of the shooting, but that he was sitting in the passenger's seat and that he fired first.
“They’re covering up everything. And I'm not going to let them. I'm not going to let them. That's just crazy. If this continues to happen, there's going to be another Malik out there,” Walker said.
Police say most of the officers who were placed on paid administrative leave are now back on the job. The two officers who were shot are still recovering at home.
Police also say they did find the woman Williams was with that night but she's not facing any charges.
The Valley Investigative Team, made up of South King County law enforcement agencies, is still investigating the shooting.