Man shot by police suffered from dementia
SEATTLE (AP) — The family of a man shot to death by Seattle police says the 77-year-old suffered from dementia.
The King County medical examiner's office hasn't yet released the name.
Family members told The Seattle Times he's Henry Lee Sr.
His son, Henry Lee Jr. said he suffered from dementia and other disease. The dead man's grandson, Gabriel Lee, told the Times he was a retired construction worker who lived alone and had been losing his memory over the past three years.
Police say they shot an armed man who raised a gun at an officer. They went to the home because he complained about a disturbance outside his home, which turned out to be a fire department aid call.
The man had called 911 using his medical alert relay service, said Detective Mark Jamieson."He was talking about the lights outside and said he had a weapon and wasn't afraid to use it," Jamieson said.
He mentioned a prowler, but there was none, Jamieson said.
The disturbance was the fire department responding to a person in a car who appeared to have some sort of medical crisis.
Additional officers responded to protect the firefighters and an officer at the scene. When they approached the house to talk to the man, he came to the door with a gun, Jamieson said.
The man refused commands to drop the weapon. Police said when he aimed it at one officer, two other officers fired. The man was killed at the scene. No officers were injured.
The officers involved have been placed on leave for the shooting investigation.
"We don't know what his thinking process was," Jamieson said.