Officer Could Not Have Shot Himself, Prosecutor Says -- South Seattle Man Faces Arraignment In Shooting

A South Seattle man has been accused in the shooting of Seattle police Officer Clay Stockwell during a barbecue party in June.

Timothy McGee, 20, will be arraigned Monday for first-degree assault in connection with the June 16 incident in Rainier Valley. Bail was set at $250,000.

A citizens group called a press conference yesterday to complain about the lack of investigation of the incident - specifically into a report that the officer actually shot himself.

Deputy Prosecutor Denis O'Leary said yesterday that he was aware of an accusation by citizens that Stockwell shot himself in the leg, but that his office stands by the charges.

The allegation that the wound was self-inflicted was made by the Mothers Against Police Harassment in a letter written to Seattle Police Chief Patrick Fitzsimons.

O'Leary said the entrance wound was lower on Stockwell's leg than the exit wound, and Stockwell was standing up when he was shot.

"Given the medical and physical evidence, what they are alleging is impossible," O'Leary said.

However, the mothers organization called a news conference yesterday to make public its July 16 letter to the police chief.

"We have information that the officer may have shot himself while getting the revolver out," said Harriett Walden, founder of Mothers Against Police Harassment. "If he shot himself, the public needs to know about that."

Janice Bell, co-director of the group, said a registered nurse told her that the shooting was an accident.

Bell said the nurse was working at Harborview when she overheard the examining doctor question Stockwell about the shooting. The doctor reportedly said that the gunshot wound was self-inflicted, based on the angle of entry and talking with the officer.

"We've asked for a full investigation and haven't heard anything yet," Bell said.

The shooting occurred at a party to mark the 21st birthday of Monica-Lynette Johnson at a home in the 3500 block of South Bennett Street, the prosecutor said.

Police responded to the scene four times, advising the crowd of guests that they had to turn down the loud music and stop disturbing neighbors and blocking access, according to the King County Superior Court papers.

The fourth time the officers responded, it was to a report that a gun had been fired. Witnesses reported hearing two or three shots, O'Leary said.

Stockwell responded about 6 p.m., approached the house, standing on a planting strip between the sidewalk and the street, O'Leary said.

As Stockwell watched a youth walking away, he was shot, according to court papers. He was hit once in the leg, with the entrance wound just above the knee and the exit wound "a few inches above the point of entry," O'Leary said.

Stockwell said he then saw McGee.

"Officer Stockwell did not see the shot fired, but immediately after the shooting, he saw a puff of smoke (consistent with a gun being fired) in the area near McGee," O'Leary said.

"Fearing additional attacks, Officer Stockwell dropped to the ground and attempted to take the limited cover/protection that the street curb could offer him," O'Leary said, adding that McGee then fled inside the house.

"When he (Stockwell) was hit, he was standing straight up," O'Leary said. "Because the bullet exited higher on the officer's leg than were it had entered, the shooter would have had to have laid on the ground to fire a shot in that direction at the angle," he said.

At the time of the shooting, police said Stockwell appeared to have been shot with either a .38 caliber or 9-millimeter pistol from 5 to 10 feet away.

A youth who has been charged in connection with the shooting incident has identified McGee as the gunman, O'Leary said. That case is pending in King County Juvenile Court.

McGee, a member of the Black Gangster Disciples, has juvenile convictions for drug offenses and assaults, court records show.

Mothers Against Police Harassment, organized in September 1990, is lobbying the city to establish an independent Citizens Review Board of police actions.