SPOKANE, Wash. — No charges will be filed against the corrections officer who shot and killed a woman outside the Spokane County Jail in December 2020, the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday.
In a press release from Spokane County Spokesman Jared Webley, the prosecutor’s office said Spokane County Detention Services Corrections Officer Sgt. Justin White was justified in his use of lethal force against 70-year-old Nancy J. King.
King pulled a knife on White while he was trying to talk to her and she ignored commands to drop the weapon, according to the press release.
Prior to the shooting, the press release says King called in two bomb threats, one at Frontier Behavioral Health on East North Foothills Drive and the other at the Emergency Room at Deaconess Hospital. Both phone calls were determined to be originated from a room at the Ramada Inn on East 3rd Avenue, where King was staying, the press release says.
When officers responded to King’s room, she refused to answer the door. According to the press release officers believed there was a possible mental health issue, Spokane police requested a Designated Crisis Responder but the request was denied.
DCRs are provided to the city through an agreement with Frontier Behavioral Health. A spokesperson for Frontier would not answer questions about this case or about DCR procedure in general, claiming "reasons of confidentiality."
According to a press release from Spokane County, King began pounding on the doors of the inner foyer of the jail at about 7:50 p.m. on Dec. 4 demanding to speak with Corrections Officers.
Once officers responded and opened the doors to the lobby, King came in, brandished a knife and moved aggressively towards the officers. The corrections officer, White, told King to back up and drop it before firing shots, according to Spokane County Jail Director Mike Sparber.
Medical assistance arrived but King died of her injuries, Sparber said. He also said it was the first-ever shooting at the county jail.
No other people were injured in the incident, according to the press release.
Following the shooting, several activist groups and King's nephew publicly questioned why deadly force was necessary. King was 70 years old and her nephew has stated she had struggled with mental illness in the past.
On Monday, Spokane NAACP President Kiantha Duncan sent a statement to KREM.
"It is my understanding that there has never been a shooting that was not 'justified' in Spokane County, however that does not make it morally right," it read. "When we 'justify' excessive force being used on community members [who are] elderly or other[s] who are likely suffering from mental health issues, we have missed the mark. Justification is often misconstrued as permission to kill. I look forward to a day when we as a nation can see the humanity in the actions of those among us who are mentally ill or justice-involved in the same way that we see the humanity of law enforcement officers."
The Human Rights Activist Coterie of Spokane wrote a letter on Saturday, Dec. 5 in response to the incident that reads in part, "There is no justification that can be given to validate this murder. Spokane County officers are equipped with stun guns and should be well-trained."
The letter is signed by Spokane NAACP President Kurtis Robinson, Dustin Jolly with Occupy Spokane, representatives from Spokane Community Against Racism (SCAR) and Liz More with the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane, among others.
The letter expresses concerns about a "lack of proper procedure," as activists say the woman could have only reached the jail's front lobby after passing several checkpoints.
Activists also highlighted what they call a "lack of correct, timely or appropriate COVID-19 prevention and response" at corrections facilities in Spokane County.
King's death also received national attention with a report from The Washington Post published on Wednesday, Dec. 9.