Emotions High as Elijah L. Lewis Murder Trial Opens
Jenine Lewis (l), mother of Elijah L. Lewis was joined in court yesterday by several community members including Edd Hampton, Jacqueline Smith Armstrong, Ash Kaur and others. (Photo: Mead Gill)
By Mead Gill
A solemn sense of community consumed the family and friends of Elijah L. Lewis as they gathered at the King County Superior Court House in downtown Seattle yesterday. The day marked the start of an extensive criminal trial nearly two years after Lewis was shot and killed, leaving the community that he so profoundly impacted deeply grieving his loss.
Twenty-three-year-old Lewis was killed on April 1, 2023, while driving on Capitol Hill with his nephew to a monster truck rally at Lumen Field. Lewis’ nephew was injured after being shot in the calf. Facing charges of second-degree murder and first-degree assault, the defendant, Patrick Cooney, is pleading ‘not guilty’ and claiming self-defense while remaining jailed on a $2 million bail.
Emotions ran high as Judge Sean P. O’Donnell granted motions that prevented the future jury in the case from being made aware of Cooney’s gun lacking a serial number (ghost gun) and that Cooney had a knife in his pocket in addition to the gun. Cooney is known by law enforcement to have threatened people with a weapon in traffic twice before, but this fact was ruled not to be allowed in the plaintiff’s chief argument.
“My conclusion is that they’re preparing to let [Cooney] walk,” Elijah L. Lewis’ friend Leith Kahl said with pulsing anger behind his words. “This court is following the Supreme Court dictum that no Black man has any rights to name white men’s failure.”
Kahl’s exasperation in response to the motions was shared by others in attendance. During breaks, supporters of Elijah L. Lewis gathered in small circles to passionately deliberate the trial, hugging and holding each other's hands as they at times were overcome with emotions. Some supporters were too upset to speak extensively on the record or interview at all.
Among the supporters was Lewis’ mother, Jenine Lewis, who wore a shirt with her son’s picture featured front and center. Other friends and family wore the same shirt in solidarity.
“I want justice to be served. I want this to be fair and equitable,” Jenine Lewis said while holding back tears. As the morning continued, she was joined by more supporters who shared the same sentiment. Even the chief investigator, Sergeant Elizabeth Kennedy, mouthed ‘I’m so sorry’ to Jenine Lewis from the plaintiff bench. The two women embraced during the 10-minute break before Kennedy encouraged Jenine Lewis to join other supporters.
Jenine Lewis recounted the strength of her son’s presence that she feels daily and his immense influence on the community that raised him. As a devoted community activist and leader, Elijah L. Lewis impacted people from all walks of life, from countless young people in the Central District and South End of Seattle to Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, who spoke at Lewis’ memorial at the WAMU Theater and described him as “the best of the best of the best,” to Seattle musician Shaina Shepherd, who wrote a song “Elijah” in tribute to him.
VIDEO: During Elijah L. Lewis’ memorial services at WAMU Theater, speakers from Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell to community activist Nikkita Oliver uplifted his legacy. (Converge Media Reports)
Through The Covenant, an organization that Lewis helped found, his mission and values remain present in the minds of those he impacted. Birthed in response to the violence and systemic barriers faced in Seattle’s Black community in 2020, The Covenant established 17 principles that the founders viewed as foundational in elevating the community’s collective consciousness. After the organization began expanding in 2021, the principles of The Covenant cemented themselves in the framework of not just the Black community but all communities impacted by societal injustices. The organization worked to stop gun violence; it is a tragic irony that gun violence took Lewis’ life.
Elijah L. Lewis’ role as a community builder for Africatown Community Land Trust (ACLT) defined his mission of creating resources for the very same communities that he grew up in and shaped his character. ACLT Board Chair Jacqueline Smith Armstrong attended the first day of the trial, where she said that losing Elijah Lewis left a hole in the organization and the city that she never expects to be filled.
VIDEO: Elijah L. Lewis discusses his work as a Community Builder with Africatown Community Land Trust. (The Day With Trae)
The annual repainting of the Black Lives Matter mural on Capitol Hill in September 2023 is just one of many tributes to Elijah Lewis and his legacy since his murder. The impact that Elijah L. Lewis had on his community and beyond is undeniable.
VIDEO: in 2023, the Vivid Matter Collective dedicated the repainting on the Black Lives Matter mural on Capitol Hill to Elijah L. Lewis. (Back2Besa)
Judge O’Donnell set the end date of the trial as Thursday, February 27. The court plans to start jury selection this week before the plaintiff’s and defendant’s attorneys deliver opening statements tentatively early next week. In the meantime, Jenine Lewis urges the community to continue supporting each other in any way possible.
“He would want us to move forward and not give up,” Jenine Lewis said. “To move in love, and not be afraid to stand up and voice our personal perspectives on what’s important.”
