Police chief says Seattle does not have 'cop-free' zones, denies city is 'under siege'

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Seattle police chief says no part of city is 'cop-free' after business owner complains they didn't respond to dozen-plus 911 calls
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best says there are no "cop-free" zones in the city and despite the perception, denies anarchy has overtaken the Emerald City.

“There is no cop-free zone in the city of Seattle,” Best said. “I think that the picture has been painted in many areas that shows the city is under siege. That is not the case.”

Best was referring to the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP), previously called the Capital Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), a six-block area near downtown Seattle where police abandoned a precinct amid escalating tensions with George Floyd protesters. The embattled top cop insisted there are no cop-free zones even after a local business owner said he called 911 more than a dozen times when protesters vandalized his business and police never showed up.

John McDermott, who owns an auto shop just outside of the CHOP, told KIRO-TV protesters broke into his shop and he detained a suspect who stole money from his cash register and tried to set fire to the building. He said he called the police a total of 19 times to no avail.

McDermott said he finally had to give into other protesters’ demands to let the suspect go to avoid “mayhem beyond mayhem," adding that both his son and some of the protesters were armed but no shots were fired.

Best said officers responded to the report and "observed the location from a distance." Click here for more on our top story.

Other related developments:
- Richmond police chief resigns as tensions escalate in Virginia capital
- Street preacher tells Seattle protester: Elect Biden 'to see black men get killed'
- Minneapolis 911 dispatcher raised concerns during George Floyd arrest, report says

Ahmaud Arbery's mother reflects on Trump meeting before he signed executive order on police reform
Wanda Cooper-Jones, the mother Ahmaud Arbery, said President Trump was "very compassionate" when he met with various relatives of victims of racially-charged violence behind closed doors on Tuesday, prior to signing an executive order geared toward reforming the country's policing tactics.

"Special Report" anchor Bret Baier played a soundbite of Cooper-Jones describing the experience of meeting with the president.

"I was very, very emotional throughout the whole conference," she said. "[Trump] was very compassionate. He showed major concern for all families. Not just one family, but for all families."

TUNE IN: Don't miss Sean Hannity's exclusive interview with President Trump on 'Hannity' tonight at 9 ET!

Cooper-Jones added: "I can say that President Trump was very receiving. He listened and he addressed each and every family accordingly."

Trump tweeted later Tuesday night that Cooper-Jones is "A GREAT woman. Her son is looking down from heaven & is very proud of his wonderful & loving mom!!!" Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old black man, was shot and killed in late February near the coastal city of Brunswick, Ga. Click here for more.

Other related developments:
- Trump signs police reform executive order in Rose Garden ceremony
- Lindsey Graham: Every black man in America 'feels threatened' when stopped by cops
- As UN panel examines 'systemic racism' in US, some countries say America is an unfair playing field

WHO cheers COVID-19 trial results of dexamethasone
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday called initial clinical trial results of a steroid shown to reduce deaths in critically ill coronavirus patients “great news.”

“This is the first treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support,” Ghebreyesus said of dexamethasone, which reduced the mortality of those on ventilators in the trial by one-third. “This is great news and I congratulate the Government of the UK, the University of Oxford, and the many hospitals and patients in the UK who have contributed to this lifesaving scientific breakthrough."

Currently, 50 percent of COVID-19 patients who need a ventilator don’t survive, according to BBC News. Dexamethasone, which has been used since the 1960s as an anti-inflammatory for arthritis and asthma patients, is inexpensive and widely available. Click here for more.

Other related developments:
- Dr. Marc Siegel hails results of research into dexamethasone as 'sign of hope' in coronavirus fight
- Researcher says coronavirus lockdowns cost US economy $1T without saving many lives
- Fauci recommends MLB season ending in September over COVID-19 fears

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SOME PARTING WORDS

Sean Hannity asks Americans to take a long look at Joe Biden's effectiveness over his 36 years as a senator and eight years as Barack Obama's vice president as they prepare to go to the polls in November.

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