Seattle police release tape of pregnant woman's shooting

Dozens of people gathered at a vigil last night for Charleena Lyles, a mother of three who was shot by Seattle Police Sunday morning.

In a transcript of the incident released by Seattle Police, one of the officers asked the other to stun the woman after she pulled out the knife.

A child steps over burned-out candles at a memorial outside where a pregnant mother was shot and killed at her apartment a day earlier by police, Monday, June 19, 2017, in Seattle.

Seattle police officers fatally shot a 30-year-old black mother at a housing complex near Magnuson Park, according to a spokesman for the Seattle Police Department.

Authorities said Charleena Lyles, 30, confronted the officers with a knife - a move that came less than two weeks after she had threatened officers with long metal shears after they responded to a domestic disturbance at her home.

In the recording - issued by Seattle police - officers can be heard shouting, "Hey! Get back!" before shots are fired. Suddenly, scuffling noises are heard, and the officers repeatedly order Lyles to "get back", as a child cries in the background.

Police in the western USA state of Washington were under scrutiny yesterday after a pregnant woman was fatally shot by officers responding to a burglary call. "She has a mental health issue that no one is addressing", Williams said. Loved ones wondered why police didn't use tasers or another non-lethal device.

Her sister Monika Williams said Ms Lyles had mental health problems, "but that's no reason for her to be shot".

"Wait, is this the one with, like, the three kids?" one officer asks as they enter the building. "Even if my sister had a knife in her hand, she weighs like nothing, even if she's soaking wet". There's no way you could've taken a taser and taken her down? The report also stated the probe teams will investigate whether the officers had enough time or the physical space to de-escalate the matter, and also whether the presence of Lyles' children in the house influenced their decision to use their guns.

The Seattle Police Department has been under scrutiny by the US Justice Department following a report five years ago that found officers too often used excessive force.

"There is no question that the Seattle police department could have and should have used de-escalation tactics, instead of shooting first and asking questions later", wrote Kristin Rowe-Finkeiner, Seattle-based director and CEO of MomsRising. Both officers are white.

O'Toole promised the department's investigation into the shooting would be transparent and "that we'll go where the truth takes us". "It's the sorts of encounters police officer tend to have in low-income communities like the one Charleena Lyles lived in".

Almost 100 people attended a candlelight vigil for Lyles at her home.

"People should not fear getting shot when they call law enforcement for help", Seattle City Council member Rob Johnson said.

"Coming together is good ... it builds the movement", Ganser said in an interview with ABC News early Tuesday. We call for accountability, starting with what we could have done better for Charleena, as well as how the police and other systems that are supposed to support and protect people did not. Lyles can be heard saying, before the audio becomes silent and, at times, indiscernible.