Seattle police had a mock tombstone in their break room with the name of a Black man killed by the force. The department says it has 'no reason to believe' it was meant to be offensive.
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- A police precinct had a mock tombstone of a man killed by police in its break room, the Seattle Times reported.
- Video also shows a "Trump 2020" campaign flag was hanging in the break room.
- The department told The Seattle Times it doesn't believe the tombstone was meant to be offensive.
Seattle police officers kept a mock tombstone of a Black man killed by their own force in their precinct's break room, according to the Seattle Times.
Newly released body-cam footage — obtained as part of an unrelated lawsuit and released by a law firm — shows the mock tombstone propped up on a shelf.
Beneath a clenched fist, it reads "Damarius Butts, 19 years" followed by the date Seattle Police shot and killed him: April 20, 2017.
Butts was killed following a police chase and shootout after he fled a convenience store robbery, local channel King 5 reported. Three officers were injured in the incident and Butts, who was shot 11 times, bled to death before receiving medical attention, according to The Seattle Times.
An inquest jury later found that the officers had followed the department's de-escalation procedures and didn't bring charges.
The Seattle Police Department told The Seattle Times that, although it does "not know how that item ended up on storage shelving, we have no reason to believe it was placed as a 'trophy' or with any pejorative intent."
The department noted in its statement to The Seattle Times that protesters took over the area during demonstrations in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd.
"Protesters often placed items such as these commemorating subjects of the use of force locally and nationwide around the precinct," the department continued, according to the Times. "It would not be unexpected that items left at the precinct might land on a storage shelf until disposition."
The video from inside the precinct — which was recorded in January 2021, months after the protests — also showed a "Trump 2020" campaign flag hanging on the wall, according to the Times.
SPD told The Seattle Times in a statement that the flag and tombstone had both been removed.
The Seattle Police Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.