Prosecutor will not seek charges in fatal police shooting

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - The King County prosecutor&#39;s office will not press charges against two Seattle Police officers who fatally shot a sword-wielding man in the University District last February. <br> <br> The prosecutor&#39;s office agreed Thursday with an inquest jury, which found last month that the man with the sword, Shawn Maxwell, 31, of Savannah, Ga., posed a threat to others. <br> <br> Police said the episode began when the man sped off after a routine traffic stop, smashed his car into another vehicle, then jumped out and started running down a residential street, brandishing the sword. <br> <br> The officers, Brett Rogers and Stanley Streubel, fired after trying unsuccessfully to subdue the man with a stun gun, or Taser, police said. The man had ignored orders to put down a 2.5-foot-long sword he was wielding in a threatening manner, police said. <br> <br> At one point, police said, the man yelled, ``Go ahead and shoot me.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Police told him to surrender, saying ``It&#39;s not worth it.&#39;&#39; He responded, ``Yes, it is.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> At least two witnesses questioned the necessity of the shooting. They said Maxwell made no sudden movements and was holding the sword at his side when he was shot. <br> <br> Police and others at the scene disputed that account, saying he had raised the sword and moved toward the officers. <br> <br> After Maxwell was shot, he fell to the ground, but then sat up and reached for his sword again, police said. <br> <br> Streubel, fearing that Maxwell was going to strike at another officer, fired more shots.

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