In 2006, Officer Karl F. Thompson Jr. confronted Otto Zehm, a mentally ill janitor, in a convenience store. Surveillance footage showed Thompson initiating a violent encounter, beating Zehm with a baton and using a Taser. Zehm died two days later. In 2011, Thompson was convicted in federal court of using excessive force and lying to investigators. The city of Spokane settled a civil lawsuit with Zehm’s family for $1.67 million.
[Return to blog post](https://watchaudits.com/officer-karl-f-thompson-jr-spokane-police-department/)
.
