Legal•Info

Reward Increased in Slaying of Seattle Officer

Posted: Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 8:05 am

Seattle, OR—Despite a reward for information, and the public outcry for justice, the killer of a Seattle policeman remains on the loose. Now the Seattle police union’s president is speaking out.

“This does not happen in Seattle,” said Police Guild President Richard O’Neill in an interview, speaking of the unprovoked shooting of Officer Timothy Brenton and student officer Brit Sweeney last Saturday night.

The two officers were looking over the details of a recent traffic stop while sitting in a parked patrol car, approximately 10 p.m. Another vehicle pulled up next to their patrol car, and shots were fired from inside that vehicle.

Sweeney, according to recently released transcripts, called in to her dispatcher to report that shots had been fired, and then said, “My partner is dead.” Although she had been grazed by one of the shots, which tore through her uniform and through her protective vest, Sweeney was able to fire at the attackers’ vehicle but was unsure whether any of her bullets managed to strike it.

A spokesperson for the Seattle police department says that they are reviewing the videotapes made by dashboard cameras on nearby patrol cars, with the intention of gaining more information about the attackers’ vehicle. The police believe that this vehicle was a light blue, silver or white compact or subcompact car.

Crime Stoppers has issued an award for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case, and recently upped that award to $85,000. This is the first intentional shooting of a Seattle city police officer since 1994, said Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, as he described the incident as a “cold-blooded” shooting.

Brenton, who is survived by a wife and two children, ages 11 and 8, had served on the Seattle police force for nine years. The 39-year-old came from a family of police officers, and both his father and uncle are retired from the force.

Law enforcement officials have pledged to do whatever it takes to catch the responsibly party or parties in the fatal shooting incident. Said Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels at a press conference on Sunday, “We will not rest until the assailant is brought to justice.”

 

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