King County Executive Dow Constantine ordered an inquest on Wednesday into the fatal shooting of Patrick Reddeck on Oct. 16, by Kent Police officers.
An investigation, led by the Auburn Police Department, determined Reddeck, 38, was fatally shot in his home after two Kent police detectives and an officer arrived to execute a search warrant. The police officers told investigators that Reddeck displayed a gun.
Inquests are fact-finding hearings conducted before a six-member jury. Under a standing executive order, inquests are convened to determine the causes and circumstances of any death involving a member of any law enforcement agency within King County while performing his or her duty, according to a county media release.
Inquests provide transparency into law enforcement actions so the public may have all the facts established in a court of law. The ordering of an inquest should carry no other implication, according to the county media release. Inquest jurors answer a series of interrogatories to determine the significant factual issues involved in the case, and it is not their purpose to determine whether any person or agency is civilly or criminally liable.
The order signed by Constantine requests that King County District Court Presiding Judge Donna Tucker assign a judge to set a date and conduct the inquest.
The ordering of inquests is a function vested in the county executive under the King County Code.
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