The media's knee-jerk liberal reaction, however, is questionable. In the days following the shooting, witnesses spoke out in the Seattle Weekly and Post-Intelligencer, contradicting the police story. But at a closer look, those stories don't discredit the police--they discredit the press.
Here's what the cops say: Maxwell, who is black, raised his sword and lunged toward police. One officer tried subduing Maxwell with a Taser; his attempt failed. The cop then fired two bullets while a second officer fired another Taser charge. Maxwell went down. When the five-second Taser stun wore off, Maxwell reached for his sword and tried to get up, prompting a third officer to shoot.
Eyewitness accounts reported in the P-I and Weekly seem to contradict the police. But on closer examination, it seems like the P-I and Weekly manipulated those accounts.
For example, the P-I showcased Leisha Diane, who said Maxwell didn't raise his sword and advance toward the cops. But the P-I forgot to mention that Diane told investigators she was paying more attention to the officers than to Maxwell, says police spokesperson Duane Fish.
Moreover, the witnesses who say Maxwell wasn't reaching for his sword didn't have a perfect view. Witness Joel Voss told the P-I that Maxwell didn't reach for anything when he was on the ground. But when Voss talked to us, he wasn't as definitive. "I didn't have a view of it," Voss told The Stranger. "But after being Tased I assume [Maxwell] had no time to reach for his sword."
The Weekly's Geov Parrish had his own star witness, Justin Pogue. Pogue told the Weekly that Maxwell was shot in the back. However, the medical examiner's report plainly states "...gunshot wound to the chest/abdominal area."
"When the autopsy reports are made public, [Parrish] is going to be embarrassed," says police guild president Ken Saucier.
Additionally, Pogue told Parrish the sword was "definitely no longer than a foot." The sword is actually nearly two feet, which Parrish would have known had he attended the press conference held a day before his story was published--where the sword was on display ["Sad Job," Amy Jenniges, Feb 21].
