Whatcom County deputies shot in February suing alleged shooter
Mar 7, 2022, 7:43 AM
Two Whatcom County deputies (second from L; second from R) with their families and attorney. (KIRO 7 TV)
(KIRO 7 TV)
Already facing attempted murder charges, a Whatcom County man is now being sued by the two deputies he is accused of shooting.
Two deputies shot, injured responding to dispute between neighbors
Two Whatcom County deputies were shot in the face while responding to a call in early February, and they have now filed a suit for financial compensation from the man charged with shooting both of them. As of Feb. 15, the deputies were out of the hospital and recovering at home.
Deputy Jason Thompson says part of the reason for the lawsuit is to protect his family in case he is unable to work again. It’s still unknown if he and his colleague will recover enough to return to work. The other main reason for the lawsuit is because the man’s actions were unreasonable.
“It’s not OK to shoot us just because we’re there trying to do our job,” Thompson told KIRO Newsradio. “We weren’t overly aggressive, we did pretty much everything we could think of to deescalate it.”
Both Deputy Thompson and Deputy Ryan Rathbun had shotgun pellet injuries to their faces. They could also have permanent vision troubles as both were shot in an eye.
Thompson says that after he was shot, a witness fired back at the suspect.
“Vividly I remember, and I’ve also seen this on my body camera, one of the citizens standing over me and firing his handgun. Literally, his shells are falling on me,” Thompson said.
“The initial reaction, although it was only a couple seconds real-time, for me lasted seemingly for minutes where I thought about a number of things, to include my wife, and my children, and my grandchild, and what’s this going to mean for them,” he added.
The two deputies were responding to a call about a Maple Falls homeowner who was angry about smoke that blew toward his house from a neighbor’s fire pit last month.
The officers are now seeking financial reimbursement from the 60-year-old homeowner for lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. He is currently in the Skagit County jail facing charges.
