On August 30, 2010, John T. Williams, a Native American woodcarver, was shot four times by Officer Ian Birk of the Seattle Police Department.

The dashboard camera of Birk's patrol car showed Williams walk "through the crosswalk, hunched over (with) something in his hands, then disappear(ing) offscreen".

Officers who arrived on the scene after the shooting and nearby witnesses later observed that the knife Williams was carrying was closed.

[4] Birk stated to the Firearms Review Board that Williams appeared to be impaired, and that he had an open knife in his hand.

[5] The report of the Firearms Review Board concluded that Birk acted appropriately in contacting Williams, but that the decision to use deadly force was unjustified.

[5] Birk resigned from the Seattle Police Department on February 16, 2011,[2] one day after King County prosecutor Dan Satterberg decided not to press criminal charges against him.

[8][9] In 2016, a crosswalk painted in the style of a white deer was unveiled at Boren Avenue and Howell Street, where Williams was shot, and dedicated to him.