OLYMPIA, Washington — The city of Olympia, Washington, is paying $600,000 to the family of a black man who was shot and killed by police. The settlement also includes a ban on officers personalizing their work gear.
Attorneys on Monday announced details of the settlement of a wrongful death claim filed by the family of Timothy Green, who was shot and killed in 2022.
The settlement stops the display of symbols on city police equipment, such as the thin blue line on an American flag. The symbol has been associated with Blue Lives Matter, a term used by some police supporters in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Officers wore Blue Lives Matter emblems and a sticker reminiscent of the yellow Gadsden flag, with the rattlesnake and the message “Don’t Tread on Me” on items from the time Green was shot.
The police must change their policy within a year to ban officers from decorating their gear, regardless of the subject.
In addition, Olympia Police Chief Rich Allen, his deputy and assistant chiefs, and the four officers involved in Green’s death must complete state training “on the historical intersection of race and policing.” The city also agreed that all Olympia police officers will receive more training in crisis intervention.
An Olympia police spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
According to the lawyers, Green’s family members were prepared to file a federal lawsuit against the city if their training and policy demands were not met.
“The settlement requires the Olympia Police Department to take steps to address use of force, crisis intervention and police culture,” Olympia said civil rights attorney Leslie Cushman told The Seattle Times.
Cushman, along with Seattle attorney Gabe Galanda, represented the family and drafted the settlement.
“We are forever saddened by the loss of a son, a brother, a father and an uncle,” the family said in a statement. “Tim did not deserve to die this way. And we don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
While overall use of force by Olympia police officers has dropped 24% since 2022, 83% of the cases involved people in crisis situations, data from the Olympia police auditor shows.
Cushman was the author of Initiative 940revising the state’s deadly force laws and creating new requirements for police to focus on de-escalation.
The family is also asking the Thurston County District Attorney’s Office to reopen a criminal investigation into the shooting, which the district attorney ruled was justified and lawful in 2023. The family has also filed complaints with the Criminal Justice Training Commission against the four officers involved, seeking to have their law enforcement certifications revoked.
According to reports obtained by the family, Olympia police knew Green and had responded to reports of his erratic behavior several times before he died.
Officer Joseph Anderson and Sgt. Joseph Bellamy had been to Green’s home two days earlier. According to the tort, they knew he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and that he had not been taking his medications.
On August 22, 2022, Anderson, Bellamy, and two other officers — Brenda Anderson and Caleb Shaffer — responded to a report of a disturbance at a Starbucks. Callers reported a man yelling and “banging around” in the store.
Green was heard saying he wanted to “kill everyone in town” and saying, “Call the police.”
When Joseph Anderson arrived, Green was “banging on the floor” at the store. Dispatchers noted Green’s mental health diagnoses, and Anderson recognized that Green was the same person from the previous call.
Bellamy, a supervisor, determined that Green could be arrested for misdemeanor disorderly conduct and obstructing pedestrians. While Bellamy went to retrieve a 40-millimeter less-lethal projectile launcher, other officers surrounded Green, according to reports.
Green became frightened and threw the contents of a backpack onto the ground, grabbing a softcover Bible and a folding knife, the claim says. Witnesses said Green held the Bible to his head and at one point appeared to pray.
According to the claim, officers Brenda Anderson and Shaffer both used a Taser on him, but were unable to incapacitate him. Joseph Anderson then shot him three times, according to the claim.