High School Student Holding a Pen was Fatally Shot by Police

Photo courtesy of the Seattle Times.

An unarmed 20-year-old man was shot and killed by police officers in the Seattle area on the night of June 13th, just hours before he was supposed to graduate high school.

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The incident occurred when Kings County police officers received a call about a man with a knife threatening people and acting erratic. A homeowner who called the dispatcher said he fired his gun at the ground to scare off the man, who continued to come forward. When the man got to door he started pounding it and scratching it, yelling "I'm the creator."

When the police arrived at the scene they found Tommy Le, the 20-year-old student, who indeed was holding something...a pen. Le moved towards the police, and that's when he was tasered and then shot three times and killed. He later died of his wounds at Harborview Medical Center.

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A week after the incident, local authorities confirmed that he was holding only a pen. This police force does not use body camera or dash camera technology, so there is none of that footage available.

Despite his alleged erratic behavior, Le has no history of mental illness or history of doing drugs. Seattle Times interviewed a number of teachers and classmates and they all talk about how he was a "bubbly kid" who was "always smiling."

Le was a student at Career Link, an alternative high school program at South Seattle College. A day after he was killed the school held it's graduation.

His picture appeared during a slideshow. His fellow classmates cheered the picture on, but also wondered why he wasn't there.

SOURCE: Seattle Times