City Councilman Tim Burgess said Monday morning he believed the Police Department would agree to an independent review of a recent shooting of a homeless man in downtown Seattle.

Investigators say officer Ian D. Birk, 27, shot 50-year-old John T. Williams Aug. 30. Police say Williams was armed with a knife when he was shot four times after the officer ordered him to drop the weapon. However some witnesses have said Williams did not appear threatening, and his family has said he was deaf in one ear.

“I’ve encouraged the police chief to invite another outside law enforcement agency to do a peer review of that investigation,” said Burgess, chairman of the Public Safety committee and a former police officer. Burgess was speaking during a City Council briefing. “I think they’re going to, I’m not certain, but I think they’re headed in that direction.”

Williams’ death was the second officer-involved shooting death in a month and third officer-involved death this year. Police have promised a transparent investigation into the latest incident and that it was inappropriate for him to comment on that process. Authorities said Williams had “a decades-long history of misdemeanors and gross misdemeanor violations.” Birk, a two-year veteran, was not equipped with a Taser.

Burgess said he hoped the Seattle department would reach out to an outside agency before it sends the case file to the prosecuting attorney, who would then present information to an inquest jury.

“The department has nothing to fear, they should welcome this outside peer review,” Burgess said.