Law and Justice
(2009-11-12)
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SEATTLE, WA
(KPLU) -
The King County Prosecutor has filed charges of aggravated first-degree murder and arson against a man alleged to have shot and killed a Seattle police officer on Halloween. The attack injured a second officer.
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Prosecutor Dan Satterberg describes the case as a "one man war" against Seattle Police. Christopher John Monfort is accused of fire-bombing police vehicles at a maintenance facility in late October, with the intent to kill responding officers. Satterberg says a few days later Monfort planned a second attack, and stalked a police car, the one carrying Officers Timothy Brenton and Britt Sweeney.
"We allege that Monfort then drove his car up to the driver's side of the marked Seattle police officer patrol vehicle and immediately opened fire with a high powered rifle."
Those shots killed Brenton, and injured Sweeney. At the scene, Satterberg says Monfort left a bandana, a sort of 'calling card' similar to one left at the fire-bombing. He says DNA tests on those items revealed a specific match with evidence found in Monfort's Tukwila apartment. Police also found notes in which Satterberg says Monfort declared that his war was against police brutality. But the prosecutor says the roots of the violence are still unclear.
"This investigation has in a very solid manner with extraordinary police work solved the who', the what', the when' and the where'. The why' is going to be what we're litigating I think for the next several years."
Monfort is still at Harborview Medical Center. Late yesterday his family issued a statement saying they've been told he's now paralyzed. There's no word on when he may be able to leave the hosptital. Satterberg says he'll be arraigned as soon as he's released. The prosecutor then has thirty days to decide if he'll seek the death penalty. Gary Davis, KPLU News, Seattle.
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