Police officials in Seattle, Washington, say they want to build a better relationship with the Native community after John T. Williams, a traditional carver, was fatally shot by an officer last week.

Seattle Police Chief John Diaz and interim Deputy Chief Nick Metz discussed the August 30 incident at the Daybreak Star Cultural Center. Metz said the meeting was the first of its kind with the Native community in his 28 years at the department.

"Admittedly, we haven't had as strong a relationship as we should have with the Native American community," Metz told The Seattle Times.

Diaz and Metz said the department was still investigating and they appeared to offer few details about the case at the meeting. But Diaz confirmed that Williams, who was a member of the Dididaht First Nation of British Columbia, was not suspected of a crime and wasn't the subject of a complaint before the shooting.

The officer who shot Williams said that Williams disobeyed orders. Williams, who often carved in a local park, was carrying a knife and a piece of wood when he was killed.

Get the Story:
Police talk with tribal members about carver's shooting (The Seattle Times 9/9)
SEATTLE COMMUNITY VOICES RISE OVER SHOOTING OF WOOD CARVER IN DOWNTOWN SEATTLE (The Sky Valley Chronicle 9/9)
ACLU: Seattle PD 'mindset' needs to change (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 9/8)

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First Nations man shot and killed by police officer in Washington (9/1)