SEATTLE -- During a court appearance, Christopher Monfort, the man accused of killing a Seattle police officer, unexpectedly spoke in court for several minutes on Thursday.

Monfort is accused of fatally shooting Seattle police Officer Timothy Brenton on Halloween last year.

Monfort was in court at 3 p.m. on Thursday for a relatively routine court hearing about media access to court documents. In an unexpected move, Monfort began speaking to the people in the courtroom. It was the first time Monfort has publicly spoken since his arrest.

Monfort said he wanted people to know that the public is in charge, not the police. He also said the press should be the eyes and ears of the people.

Monfort spoke with a lisp because he was partially paralyzed when he was shot by a police officer. He was sitting in a wheelchair and said that he is “dead” from the waist down.