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The tort lawsuit filed Thursday seeks $ 17 Million for the “wrongful death” of 30-year-old Jenoah Donald. Donald was unarmed when he was shot following a traffic stop.
VANCOUVER, Wash The family of a man was shot and killed by a Clark County Sheriff’s deputy after a traffic stop in February would claim the county $ 17 million.
The family of Jenoah Donald, 30, held an emotional news conference on Thursday to announce the lawsuit.
Time does not heal Donald’s mother, Sue Zawacky.
The longer it takes, the harder it is. He won’t be coming back, Zawacky said through his tears.
The news conference provided time for the family to share who Donald was with them. They described him as a happy, loving child who grew up into a mechanically inclined young man.
He wants to build contraptions with whatever he can find, said Josh Shorthill, Donald’s older brother.
Shorthill said his younger brother suffered from mental disabilities, including ADHD and had a history of drug use. He said it didn’t change his heart and Donald was always willing to help others.
That’s who my brother is, hes that go-happy-lovey ‘hey, I’ll do anything if I can do it for you.’
The tort claim alleges that a deputy violated Washington law by stopping Donald in a Hazel Dell neighborhood for a broken night when the deputy suspected there was no probable reason that Donald had left a home. drugs in the area.
It also says another deputy falsely claimed he saw a weapon in Donald’s car, if nothing else.
The third problem, according to attorney Mark Lindquist, was that representatives escalated things from there including Deputy Sean Boyle punching Donald in the nose, then shooting him in the head.
In summary, the situation started to get worse and worsened because of the actions of Clark County Sheriff’s representatives, Lindquist said.
The family said that despite the sheriff’s office telling them at first that their loved one had died, Donald actually survived. He died a week after the shooting, after he was removed from life support.
So you sit next to him and hold his hand because you can’t do anything, Shorthill says. And you see what your younger brother, your friend, your colleague, sank into nothing and he was gone.
The tort claim has a dollar value asking for $ 17 million. Sue Zawacky, Donald’s mother, said there is something more valuable than money.
Most, most, most — I want truth, I want justice and I want accountability, he said.
There is an investigation still being conducted by outside agencies, then a panel of county prosecutors outside of Clark County will review the findings, including Clark County Attorney Prosecuting Tony Golik.
Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins issued a statement in response to filing the tort claim. It reads as follows:
“Jenoah Donald’s death is tragic. Pursuant to new state law from I-940, the investigation into this incident was handled by an outside agency and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office had no role in the investigation. The investigation was passed for to the Prosecuting Attorney’s review and we await the completion of that step in the process.We also await receipt of the Tort Claim, to review it in more detail.We have no further comment on the matter pending review by Prosecutors.
My condolences go out with the family and loved ones of Jenoah Donald. “
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