King County sheriff vows to stay put
Despite calls for her resignation, King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht said she’s not stepping down. “No, I’m not going to resign.” Johanknecht told KIRO 7.
Last week, King County Councilmember Joe McDermott joined a small chorus of people calling for Johanknecht’s resignation for her response to a $5 million settlement with the family of Tommy Le. Le was an unarmed 20-year-old who was shot and killed by Deputy Cesar Molina in 2017. “The truth is Deputy Molina shot and killed an unarmed 120-pound Asian high school student in the back while he was retreating,” said Le family attorney Jeff Campiche.
Last fall, Johanknecht offered her condolences to the Le family, even though the shooting occurred before she was sheriff. After the settlement, Johanknecht sent an internal email to her staff. She wrote: “First of all, this case is not a reflection of how I view the actions of Deputy Molina in this incident.” Johanknecht added: “Proceeding to trial at this time runs the risk of a verdict based on emotion, rather than facts.”
The sheriff’s internal email was leaked and drew a demand for her resignation from King County Councilmember Joe McDermott. “Sheriff Johanknecht ripped the bandage off a still fresh and painful wound in our community,” wrote McDermott. He added that her email is “disrespectful to the young person who was killed, to his family and to our entire community.” The sheriff responded to McDermott and said, “I don’t know why he’s calling for my resignation other than what he might be saying in the media. He hasn’t talked to me.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/king-county-sheriff-vows-to-stay-put/ar-BB1flaiz?ocid=hplocalnews
