SEATTLE – King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg has formally announced he will be filing an Aggravated First Degree Murder charge and an Attempted murder charge against Christopher Monfort. Monfort is accused of fatally shooting Seattle Police Officer Tim Brenton and wounding rookie Officer Britt Sweeney.
Christopher Monfort, 41, is recovering at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after being shot by police outside his Tukwila apartment complex last Friday. Police say Monfort showed a gun before being shot.
Ofc. Brenton was killed Halloween night after police say a Datsun 210 pulled up next to the cruiser that Brenton and rookie Ofc. Britt Sweeney were sitting in. Brenton was shot and Sweeney was grazed. Sweeney was able to return fire as the car fled the scene.
A citizen tip led police to Monfort's Tukwila apartment complex, where a car matching that description was found. Weapons and bomb-making materials were found in the Monfort's apartment, police said.
Law enforcement sources tell KING 5 News they believe Monfort wrote notes left at the scene of Seattle police car bombings on Oct. 22, assuming police officers would die when the cars exploded. The author said he was blowing up the cars and killing police as a "tribute" to a sheriff's deputy trainee - Travis Bruner - who witnessed the beating of a girl in a holding cell by another King County deputy.
The note says: "These deaths are dedicated to Deputy Travis Bruner. You swear on a solemn oath to protect us from all harm, that includes you. Start policing each other or get ready to attend a lot of police funerals."
Bruner was suspended for five days. The other deputy has been fired and is awaiting trial on assault.
KING 5 News has also learned Monfort is under investigation on child pornography charges. Investigators say they found massive amounts of child pornography on Monfort's computer.
Last Friday's arrest came minutes after a memorial service for Ofc. Brenton ended at KeyArena.
