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Timothy Green

Age : 37

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/22/2022

Location : 4131 Martin Way E, near Starbucks

City : Olympia

County : Thurston

State : Washington

Agency : Olympia Police Department

Officer(s) :Joseph Bellamy, Caleb Shaffer, Jordan Anderson, Brenda Anderson

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during mental health crisis

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/22/2022, Olympia Police Department Officer Jordan Anderson shot and killed 37-year-old Timothy Green after officers responded to reports that Green was behaving erratically at businesses near Martin Way E and Sleater Kinney Road. Green was experiencing a behavioral health crisis, and his mother later said he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager and had a long history of mental health crises.
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Police were initially called about Green's behavior at an AM/PM convenience store and then a nearby Starbucks. Officers were not responding to a reported violent felony or attempting to arrest Green on an outstanding warrant. After officers contacted him, Green left the business area and walked into traffic. Officers then decided to take him into custody.
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The encounter was especially controversial because Olympia officers had interacted with Green only two days earlier, on 08/20/2022. Later records cited by Green's family showed that Jordan Anderson and Sergeant Joseph Bellamy were among the officers who encountered Green during that earlier incident and learned about his psychiatric disability. Green's family argued that this prior knowledge should have affected how police handled his behavior two days later.
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On 08/22, officers followed Green as he moved through the area. Police alleged that Green possessed a knife. When officers attempted to take him into custody, two officers deployed Tasers, but the electrical weapons did not incapacitate him.
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Police alleged that Green continued holding the knife and approached Jordan Anderson. Video of the encounter shows Anderson moving into Green's path and then walking backward with his handgun pointed at Green. Anderson fired three rounds into Green's torso. Green fell into bushes after being shot.
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The circumstances immediately preceding the gunfire became a major point of dispute. Police maintained that Green approached Anderson while armed with the knife. Green's family and community advocates questioned whether Green actually presented an imminent threat and argued that officers escalated an encounter involving a man they knew was experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Video of the shooting was subsequently released publicly.
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Officers provided medical aid after the shooting. Green was transported to a hospital but died from his wounds. He was the father of two children. His mother, Millie Green, said she had long feared that her son's mental illness could ultimately result in police killing him during a crisis. She had previously gathered signatures in support of Washington Initiative 940, which required additional police de-escalation training.
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The Capital Metro Independent Investigations Team investigated the killing. Olympia Police Department detectives did not participate in the investigation because Olympia officers were involved. The investigation was completed in January 2023 and forwarded for independent prosecutorial review.
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The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney's Office subsequently concluded that the officers' actions were lawful. In December 2023, the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney's Office announced that no criminal charges would be filed against Anderson or the other Olympia officers involved.
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Green's family filed a $21 million tort claim against the City of Olympia. In August 2024, Olympia agreed to pay $600,000 to settle the claim. The settlement also required significant police training changes, including 40 hours of crisis-intervention training for patrol officers and an additional eight-hour course addressing force options when dealing with people experiencing behavioral health crises.
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The settlement additionally required Police Chief Rich Allen, deputy chiefs and the officers involved in Green's death to undergo state training concerning the historical intersection of race and policing. Green's family also sought further review of Anderson's actions and filed a complaint with the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission alleging failures to de-escalate and intervene and raising concerns about officer conduct.
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Olympia's internal Use of Force Review Board subsequently concluded that the officers acted within department policy and training. The city's police auditor reviewed the case and found the internal review thorough and consistent with department standards.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
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Jordan Anderson was the Olympia Police Department officer who fired the three rounds that killed Green. Anderson had also encountered Green two days earlier and, according to materials cited by Green's family, had learned about Green's psychiatric disability during that earlier contact. Anderson remained on paid administrative leave during the lengthy external investigation.
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Joseph Bellamy, Caleb Shaffer and Brenda Anderson were the other Olympia officers involved in the encounter. Two officers used Tasers before Jordan Anderson fired his handgun. All four officers were ultimately included in the prosecutorial review, and none were criminally charged. Brenda Anderson later retired from the Olympia Police Department.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.thejoltnews.com/stories/olympia-community-members-want-independent-investigation-of-timothy-greens-death,7229
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/mother-olympia-man-killed-by-police/281-02e12a51-79bf-4488-8dbe-595bdc63e884
https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article268103907.html
https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/crime/article282683608.html
https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article278578064.html
https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article291487245.html
https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article295506859.html