REDMOND, Wash. — For the first time, a King County inquest jury determined that a deadly police shooting was not a legally justified use of force.
Several of the jurors went so far as to call it a criminal matter. The case involves Andrea Churna, 39, the mother of a young son who was shot and killed by Redmond Police Officer Daniel Mendoza on Sept. 20, 2020. No criminal charges were ever filed, and Mendoza and the other officers involved have since returned to duty.
Michael Thomas, Churna’s father, said he hopes the decision by the inquest jury prompts prosecutors to take another look at his daughter’s death…