Through the Static

By Hannah Saunders

Seattle Police shot and killed 29-year-old Christian Hadley Nelson in broad daylight near a busy intersection in South Seattle on December 2 after receiving a 911 call of a topless man brandishing a firearm. Nelson was the father to a 9-year-old; created many positive memories with friends through hosting events; was a supportive figure for his close ones; and loved hard. Now, his mother is working to bring him home and lay him to rest.

“Chris was one of the kindest and most loving people. He never hesitated to show his affection for his friends and truly considered us his family,” Jason, his friend in Seattle, told TtS.

Jason said Nelson was known for hosting barbecues, kickbacks, and game and movie nights. He said they organized beach days on several occasions, and that Nelson loved bringing people together.

“He always tried to be there for the people he cared about. We had a lot of fun joking bout anything. From parties to casual hangouts, he was always there, creating memories and sharing in so many of the good moments we had together,” Jason said.

During the shooting that took Nelson’s life, cops fired over a dozen rounds of ammunition that also struck a nearby apartment complex and injured a bystander. The nearby Salish Sea Elementary School was placed on a brief lock down, and the intersection and light rails were shut down. At a December 2 media briefing, SPD Chief Shon Barnes said officers “attempted to talk to the subject. The subject advanced on the officers. The officers dispatched their weapons.”

TtS connected with friends and Nelson’s ex, Anna, and released his name on December 4 on social media. The following day, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the victim to be Nelson, and said he died from multiple gunshot wounds. December 5 was also when SPD released a video that includes the 911 call and clips of body camera footage from two officers who shot at Nelson. The footage shows Nelson walking up Othello shirtless, with a gun in his hand, then flicks to a clip from “involved officer #1” who parks his vehicle, gets out and immediately starts shouting “Drop it! Drop it! Drop it! Drop it! Drop the gun! Drop it!”

The footage circles Nelson in yellow when he points his handgun at the officers who initially fire off and about a dozen bullets. Nelson is sitting on the ground and points the gun at the officer again before he’s shot and killed. The video also shows a clip from “involved officer #2” who approached officer 1 from behind with an assault rifle, and fired at Nelson indiscriminately.

Anna is Nelson’s wife of ten years and they have been going through a divorce. She was the first to be notified of his death. She’s located in Georgia, as is Nelson’s family. She previously told TtS that Nelson had struggled with mental health, and was likely experiencing a mental health crisis.

“He loved hard and went hard for his family and his friends and anyone he even remotely cared about, and he would always support you and help however he could,” Anna said.

Extended family members told TtS that Nelson’s mother, Amanda Lofton, has been grieving, now having lost two sons. Her sister-in-law launched a GoFundMe to help Amanda travel to Seattle to “handle her son’s affairs, bring his body home, and lay him to rest near his brother, Noah Lofton.” Anna, who said she is Nelson’s next-of-kin, has her own GoFundMe that is against the wishes of Amanda, one of Nelson’s cousins told TtS.

“No mother should have to bury one son, let alone both of her sons,” states the GoFundMe.

Right before he was meant to start college at a Division 1 school to play basketball, Noah, Amanda’s youngest son, was found murdered in his car and her grief was immense.

“Her brother Charles and I would like for her to come to Minnesota so that she is not alone in Georgia in her grief, truly all by herself. From here, she and her big brother Charles will travel together to Christian in Seattle,” according to the GoFundMe.

The fundraiser page states that although Nelson may have been suffering from a mental health crisis, and that it may have been related to the loss of his brother and marriage, a “police-embedded mental health clinician could have saved his life.” The post notes how Nelson’s family is awaiting full transparency and investigation results, citing conflicting eyewitness reports of one person stating Nelson reached out to surrender his handgun. It also questions why less lethal rounds, like rubber bullets, weren’t used instead. Anna said she is also requesting SPD body camera footage and that the department did not handle the situation well at all.

“Christian had a heart of gold,” the GoFundMe states. “The fact remains that we have a devoted mother who raised two good men that now faces the harrowing task of burying her last son. Amanda asks that her son be remembered for his bright light and the person he was.”

Donate now at gofundme.com/f/help-amanda-bring-christian-home.