Former student of man shot and killed by KPD officers speaks out
KENNEWICK, Wash. — Law enforcement released the name on Monday of the man shot and killed by Kennewick Police officers after they say he attacked one of them with a sword this weekend.
However, for former students of Hussein Hassan, 46, of Kennewick, this is a tragedy.
Farah Mohamed is one of those students: "I'm heartbroken."
He adds that Hassan was one of the best people he knew.
According to Mohamed, Hassan was a refugee from Somalia who taught students at the Unity Primary School in the Dagahaley portion of the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya.
Now a University of Washington graduate with a Masters in both Public Health and Social Work, he adds that Hassan provided a strong foundation for his education.
“It's something that nobody would wish for anybody, let alone somebody who was your role model, who was your teacher.”
According to KPD, Hassan died at Trios Hospital on Sunday after he was shot by two police officers for attacking one of them with a sword.
Mohamed admits Hassan had some mental health issues and had been sick for the last few years, but he never expected this.
“Even when he had the mental health issues, he never, as far as I know, he never fought with anybody," says Mohamed.
According to Washington State Law RCW 9A.16.040, justifiable use of deadly force by an officer means an officer must have probable cause to believe that the suspect, if not apprehended, poses a threat of serious physical harm to the officer or a threat of serious physical harm to others.
These circumstances include, “if the suspect threatens an officer with a weapon or displays a weapon in a manner that could reasonably be construed as threatening.”
But Mohamed says it shouldn't have happened: "If he attacked, they can be neutralizing that in many ways, but he should not be killed."
But police say Hassan continued to attack the officer despite commands to stop and caused a head injury to the officer that required 17 staples to close.
Mohamed says this weekend he and several other former students will travel to the Tri-cities to talk to Hassan's family and provide support.
"Whatever happened, whatever the circumstances were, he cannot defend himself. He's not in a position to advocate to say what kind of person he was."
The Tri-City Special Investigation Unit is still investigating the incident.
The Kennewick Police Officers involved in this incident are Officer Joshua Kuhn, who has 15 years of service with the Kennewick Police Department and Officer Jason Kiel, who has almost 20 years of combined service with the Kennewick Police Department and the Washington State Patrol.
Both are on paid administrative leave.
