‘Trigger happy’ deputy killed off-duty cop chasing suspect in Washington, lawsuit says
A “trigger happy” sheriff’s deputy fatally shot an off-duty Washington police officer who was chasing a robbery suspect on his property, according to a federal lawsuit filed over his death.
Clark County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jonathan Feller was pursuing the suspect when he pulled up to Donald Sahota’s home, located at the end of a private road, in Battle Ground on Jan. 29, 2022, reads a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.
Within about four seconds of stopping his patrol car, Feller aimed at Sahota and opened fire, shooting him from behind, according to the complaint, which says Sahota didn’t fit the suspect’s description.
Sahota, an officer with the Vancouver Police Department, had been struggling with the suspect in his driveway moments before Feller shot him in his back, according to the complaint.
“Sahota fell immediately to the ground and, after a period of suffering and agony, died from his injuries,” the complaint says.
He was 52 and a married father of two.
The complaint says Feller “acted rashly and negligently.”
“He failed to identify Officer Sahota, failed to identify the suspect, failed to assess the situation, failed to properly prepare his equipment, failed to follow directives, failed to identify himself as a law enforcement officer, failed to give a proper warning before shooting, and failed to properly apply accepted standards for use of deadly force.”
Sahota’s widow, Dawnese Sahota, filed the lawsuit against Feller and Clark County on claims of negligence, excessive force and failure to train.
“Officer Donald Sahota lost his life due to the negligence of a Clark County employee,” attorney Mark Lindquist, who represents Dawnese Sahota, said in a statement to McClatchy News on Feb. 11. “We are confident the county will accept responsibility and do right by Officer Sahota’s family.”
Lindquist said the family won’t be commenting on the lawsuit.
Clark County spokeswoman Joni McAnally declined McClatchy News’ request for comment on Feb. 11. She said the county doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
Feller is employed as a deputy, but doesn’t work patrol, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
‘A devoted family man and committed public servant’
Sahota joined the Vancouver Police Department in 2014 after serving as an officer with the Gresham Police Department, the lawsuit says. Vancouver borders Oregon and is about a 10-mile drive north from Portland.
He worked in law enforcement for 20 years, according to the complaint.
“Officer Sahota was a devoted family man and committed public servant,” the complaint says.
He loved spending time with his wife and two children, according to the complaint.
He’s remembered as a “skilled handyman” by family and friends, and as someone who’d help his neighbors and would involve himself in the community, the complaint says.
The night of Sahota’s death, a man accused of robbing a Chevron gas station was pursued by Clark County sheriff’s deputies, according to the complaint, which says he drove away from the scene.
Deputies disabled his car near Battle Ground before the man fled into a nearby neighborhood, where Sahota lived with his family, the complaint says.
Dawnese Sahota spotted the robbery suspect outside her home and called 911 about a “suspicious” person on her property, according to the complaint, which identified him as Julio Segura.
Donald Sahota went outside to see what Segura was doing and a struggle between them ensued, the complaint says. They were seen reportedly fighting in aerial video footage.
During the struggle, Segura stabbed Sahota, The Columbian reported.
Segura then “broke away” from Sahota and ran toward his front door as Sahota chased him from behind, according to the complaint.
Feller arrived at this moment and shot Sahota, the complaint says.
Deputy avoids prosecution
The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office decided it wouldn’t file criminal charges against Feller in connection with Sahota’s death, KGW reported.
A memo on the decision was issued by the office on Jan. 11, 2023, and said the “facts support a finding that Deputy Feller made a mistake that a reasonable officer could have made in the same situation.”
Lindquist and his co-counsel disagree. They wrote in the complaint that:
“A reasonable officer would have confirmed the identity of the person he was targeting … Defendant Feller relied on guesswork when deciding to shoot someone in the back with his rifle.”
The person ultimately prosecuted in Sahota’s death was Segura, the Columbian reported.
After a jury convicted Segura of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle and attempting to elude law enforcement officers, he was sentenced to 29 years in prison in June 2024, according to the newspaper.
“These past 2½ years have been excruciating,” Dawnese Sahota said in the courtroom, the newspaper reported. “This tragedy that is now my reality has left me brokenhearted. Shattered.”
Segura apologized to the Sahota family at the hearing, the Columbian reported.
According to the lawsuit, Clark County is to blame for inadequate law enforcement training, leading to Sahota’s death.
About 15 months before he died, the complaint says “Feller was similarly negligent in firing his weapon before he properly assessed a situation.”
Feller was involved in a man’s fatal shooting in 2020, KGW reported.
“In both situations, (Feller) raced to the action even though he had no assigned role,” the complaint says.
With the lawsuit, Sahota’s family seeks a jury trial and an unspecified amount in damages.
This story was originally published February 11, 2025 at 1:39 PM with the headline "‘Trigger happy’ deputy killed off-duty cop chasing suspect in Washington, lawsuit says."
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