Washington jail officer fatally shoots woman, 70, in the head

The nephew of Nancy King says she had a troubled life and with no kids to speak out for her, he hopes justice is served

Dec 10, 2020

A family is left confused after a sergeant shot and killed their 70-year-old aunt.

On Friday, Nancy King of Spokane County, Washington was killed by Justin White when she entered a Spokane County Jail with a sharp object, per KXLY.com. The woman had been known to have mental health issues and suffered from alcoholism. Emergency responders tried to save King but she passed from her injuries.

“It’s rough, and it’s just hard to think about how her life ended,” said Jack King, the victim’s nephew to Spokesman.com.

Justin White Washington thegrio.com — Officer Justin White (Credit: SPOKANE COUNTY DETENTION SERVICES)

The officer did alert King to put down her weapon before firing after a receptionist let her into the building. She had been banging on the door to be let inside. She allegedly had “moved aggressively,” toward White.

According to The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office, she was shot multiple times.

“It’s really hard to picture that, but it was a cold night. I don’t know if she was having a mental breakdown or if she was just freezing to death and looking for someplace warm to go,” said King. “Sure, a homeless person can seem scary, but it’s hard to picture someone that small and elderly being a threat to a corrections officer.”

The Washington State Patrol is investigating the incident along with the Spokane Police Department. Officer White has been placed on leave.

The Spokane chapter of the NAACP recently released a statement about King’s death.

“This is not the first time that a member of our community has died at the Spokane County Jail, incarcerated or otherwise, and this event brings to light the other lethal mishandlings within our local and statewide jails, incarceration institutions, law enforcement, and Department of Corrections,” per the statement. “We have consistently raised concerns over the issue of dehumanization and othering within the corrections system of Spokane County and the lack of value put on the lives of populations being engaged by law enforcement.”

Her nephew said she had a troubled life and with no kids to speak out for her, he hoped justice is served.

“Since she doesn’t have any children, there really isn’t going to be anybody rattling their swords for justice, and we wanted to make sure there was some pressure on the authorities to do their job,” said King. “I just hope the State Patrol will do a good job and make sure the (corrections officer) did what he was supposed to do in the order he was supposed to do (it).”

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