Family members gather Monday at Lynnwood City Hall seeking answers about the death of Tirhas Tesfatsion. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Family members gather Monday at Lynnwood City Hall seeking answers about the death of Tirhas Tesfatsion. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Lynnwood council agrees to ask AG to investigate jail death

At a rally Monday evening, Tirhas Tesfatsion’s family called for answers in her July 13 death.

LYNNWOOD — Tirhas Tesfatsion’s sister remembers her as incredibly loving.

If she saw someone who needed a pick-me-up, she would take off her earrings and give them to that person.

“She always had the most beautiful smile, the most loving human,” said Tesfatsion’s sister, who did not want to be identified by name. “That was her job. To love and give love and she should not have been taken away.”

Tesfatsion died July 13, less than 36 hours after being booked into the Lynnwood Jail for investigation of a DUI. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office determined she died by suicide. She was 47.

Tirhas Tesfatsion (GoFundMe)

Tirhas Tesfatsion (GoFundMe)

Members of Tesfatsion’s family rallied Monday evening outside Lynnwood City Hall. Under a framed portrait of the Lynnwood woman were half a dozen candles with crosses on them. Her family called for answers explaining how Tesfatsion died. Later, inside City Hall, they urged the city to hit the pause button on a new jail that would cost tens of millions of dollars, which was originally on the City Council agenda the same evening.

Under pressure from the vocal crowd, the council passed a motion to request a new independent investigation into the death through the state Attorney General’s Office.

Lynnwood police pulled over Tesfatsion just after midnight July 12. She had been driving about 30 mph on Highway 99, where the speed limit is 45, according to a police report obtained by The Daily Herald through a public records request. She told police she hadn’t been drinking but said she had taken oxycodone and anti-depressant medication, according to the police report.

Tesfatsion had also been arrested for investigation of driving under the influence in December 2020, police wrote in their report in July.

A custody officer found Tesfatsion unresponsive at about 3 p.m. July 13 near the shower of the female detention area in the jail. She was housed in an area designed for multiple female inmates, but she was the only one there at the time. The unit has two video cameras, but the shower area is “digitally masked for privacy,” according to Lynnwood police.

The family led a chant claiming Tesfatsion’s death wasn’t suicide and called for the release of video footage.

“She was a human being. She was my sister. She was a family woman. She had kids. She had life. Her life should’ve never been taken away under the custody of people that are supposed to protect her,” Tesfatsion’s sister said. “… I want to know what happened to my sister.”

Family members address the Lynnwood City Council about the death of Tirhas Tesfatsion during a rally Monday at City Hall. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Family members address the Lynnwood City Council about the death of Tirhas Tesfatsion during a rally Monday at City Hall. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

After rallying outside City Hall, members of Tesfatsion’s family led a crowd into the building for a Lynnwood City Council meeting. The council was scheduled to vote to move forward on the new Community Justice Center that would include a new jail for misdemeanor charges, the police department and a court. What followed was over 2½ hours of contentious dialogue between the city’s elected officials and those seeking answers for Tesfatsion’s death.

The four city council members and the mayor attending the meeting in person were all white. Tesfatsion was Black.

Earlier this month, Lynnwood police had asked the Kirkland Police Department to conduct an investigation into Tesfatsion’s death. Tesfatsion’s family said the inquiry doesn’t serve as true oversight. The family’s attorney, James Bible, called the police investigation “rinky-dink” and “fake.”

Mayor Nicola Smith said the city would start working on a letter to the attorney general Tuesday, seeking an independent investigation.

“Once we see the results of (the Kirkland police) investigation, that doesn’t mean that that’s the end of it,” council President George Hurst said. “That doesn’t mean we can’t have another independent investigation.”

Meanwhile, the family and their supporters said Tesfatsion’s death shows the city should not be moving forward on a new jail facility.

“The city of Lynnwood is no place to house human souls for profit,” Bible said.

Advocates of the center, including Councilmember Christine Frizzell, argue it would be a positive for the community because it includes programs to reduce recidivism, such as a partnership with the Community Health Center of Snohomish County to bring rehabilitative services.

Family members of Tirhas Tesfastion gather in the City Council chambers Monday at Lynnwood City Hall. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Family members of Tirhas Tesfastion gather in the City Council chambers Monday at Lynnwood City Hall. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

The City Council had planned to vote Monday on the center’s funding, but while Tesfatsion’s family and dozens of others rallied outside, they voted to remove that from the agenda, Hurst said. The council now plans to vote on the legislation next Monday at its 6 p.m. meeting.

The standing-room-only crowd at City Hall said they will be back.

Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.