Razor? Knife?

Interviews released today with 17 witnesses of the police shooting in Hoyt Arboretum, including several who were inside the Arboretum office and saw most of the incident, back up the basic elements of Officer Jason Walters’ story of how he wound up shooting homeless man Jack Collins. According to numerous witnesses, Officer Walters told Collins numerous times to drop his knife, while backing up. He then shot two rounds into Collins, waited a moment and shot two more.

Razor? Knife?
  • Razor? Knife?

But one thing that’s not in the comprehensive collection of police reports on the shooting: a photo of the knife Collins’ wielded. While officers are supposed to use the “least force possible” to resolve conflicts, when they are deciding if they need to shoot someone, they weigh the threat the individual presents. One of the contentious points of this case has been whether the knife Collins was holding was a reasonable threat. As chronicled here, the knife has changed from early police descriptions of a “razor knife with a six-inch handle” to an Exacto knife or boxcutter. Officers interviewed as part of the investigation into the shooting describe the knife as both a scalpel and a “hobby style ‘exacto’ razor knife”.

Detective and police spokeswoman Mary Wheat explained to me this morning that a photo of the knife was missing from the released reports because the police do not typically release photos of evidence. I have a public records request into the bureau asking for a photo of the knife. This seems like something the police should make public, especially since the grand jury decided not to indict Officer Walters in the shooting, a decision which ostensibly closes the case.

Public defender Chris O’Connor says that if a client of his was caught with a knife in the case of even a petty misdemeanor, a photo of the weapon would be given to the lawyer, at least. “There’s no legal interest in keeping it secret, except for the obvious political problem,” says O’Connor, of the Collins’ shooting. “I assume they just don’t want it on the front page of some newspaper.”

Sarah Shay Mirk reported on transportation, sex and gender issues, and politics at the Mercury from 2008-2013. They have gone on to make many things, including countless comics and several books.

15 replies on “456 Pages, Still No Photo of the “Razor Knife””

  1. “As chronicled here, the knife has changed from early police descriptions of a “razor knife with a six-inch handle” to an Exacto knife or boxcutter. Officers interviewed as part of the investigation into the shooting describe the knife as both a scalpel and a “hobby style ‘exacto’ razor knife”. “

    All of those descriptions sound pretty much the same to me: long handle, short blade. That’s what a scalpel looks like; that’s what a hobby knife looks like; that’s what an Exacto knife looks like. Why is this an issue? Yes, a short blade is potentially deadly. I think you’re trying too hard to find the scandal here.

  3. Are you intimating that there was no knife? That a run of the mill X-Acto isn’t worthy of being justifiably scared? Why does a photo matter?

  4. The fundamental question is whether a deranged transient with an exacto knife constitutes a grave enough threat for the police officer to use *deadly* force.

    While a taser or pepper spray could have been used–if the police officer got close enough, the man could have inflicted serious damage with any pointed object.

    Yet, a mentally-ill man is *dead* because he was threatening a police officer with a 1″ exacto knife. Now if the guy was wielding a machete or scimitar, deadly force is understandable, but an exacto knife?

  7. Why don’t you ask your buddy John Kroger to look up in his manual what it says about requesting photographs of razor knives?

  8. The 9/11 terrorists took down four planes with box cutters. If you don’t think an Exacto knife can be a deadly weapon, you’re an asshole.

  9. Question Mirk. If Collins didn’t have a blade and he tackled Walters to the ground, do you think he would’ve been justified in shooting him then?

  10. In previous posts about this story, a lot of commentors have been asking to see photos of the knife. I think that’s why Mirk is continuing to follow up on this. It does not, to me anyway, feel like she’s trying to dig up some conspiracy where none exists. I think she’s just trying to get information to the people that the people want to know. Being a journalist, in other words.

  13. I take issue with Ms. Mirk’s characterization of the witness’ stories supporting officer Walters. I have not gone through all the documents yet, as I unfortunately do not get paid to do so as my job, but the witness statements i have read seem to dispute key elements in Walters’ statement. First, witnesses say Walters was holding ground not pinned against obstacles. This could have allowed for retreat or bought time for switching to less lethal means of resolving the situation. Second, witnesses characterize Collins as drunkenly stumbling which I did not see in Walters’ interview. Third, the timing between the two bursts of shots is reported by witnesses to be possibly 1 to 2 minutes, whereas Walters characterizes his decisions as split second and occurring under immediate threat and pressure. Fourth, and possibly most disturbing, witnesses say that the initial two shots brought the man down where he lay for, at least, a brief period of time. Walters characterizes Collins’ reactions to the first shots as slowly turning in place in a period of a couple seconds and then resuming his advance towards the officer. I think individually each one of these points raises troubling questions and all together it seems like a different narrative than the one put out by ppb and officer walters. Like I said I haven’t read everything but so far I am troubled.

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