Ian Devier had just been hired by the Seattle Channel in April 2011 when he got his first assignment: make a short film about the creation of the totem pole to honor First Nations carver John T. Williams.
On Aug. 30, 2010, Williams was walking in a downtown crosswalk carrying a piece of cedar and a carving knife. Seattle police officer Ian Birk had stopped at the traffic light; when he saw Williams, Birk yelled at Williams, who had partial hearing loss, to stop. When Williams kept walking, Birk shot the carver four times. Williams died from the injuries. ...