Father of son shot, killed at Seattle’s CHOP files $3 billion claim

The father of a 19-year-old man shot and killed in Seattle’s CHOP/CHAZ has filed a claim against Seattle, King County, and Washington state for $3 billion.

Horace Anderson’s attorney, Evan Oshan, joined KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson Show, and said his client is having a hard time coping after losing his son.

“This is was preventable,” Oshan said. “This was predictable. It was avoidable. It was just a catastrophe waiting to happen. Our leaders, our government failed us miserably on so many levels. To abandon a police precinct, to not allow EMS crews to come out and treat an injured victim, it’s just unforgivable. It really is.”

Horace Lorenzo Anderson was shot multiple times early on June 20. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center where he later died.

Police said they responded to the scene after reports of gun shots in the area. SPD said officers tried to find a shooting victim, but were met by a violent crowd that prevented them safe access to the victims. They were later informed that CHOP medics took Anderson and another victim to Harborview.

Oshan said government needs to be held accountable. He said he hopes the $3 billion claim makes a statement. And there’s no price on a human life.

“There needs to be some deterrence so that our leaders, our government understands that they have a responsibility to take care of their citizens — so this isn’t going to happen again,” Oshan said.

Dori argued that the taxpayers would ultimately be on the hook to pay out $3 billion if Oshan has a case. And taxpayers didn’t do anything wrong.

The attorney explained that a judge and jury will have to decide what the true value of the case is.

“Because we don’t know exactly what caused the failure, I need to put the government on notice,” Oshan said. “My suspicion is that things that happened are far more egregious than what the media picked up on.”

He suspects there were memos and notes that indicated that people knew for certain what was happening in the CHOP/CHAZ zone.

While Dori agrees with everything Oshan is saying, he believes a $3 billion figure seems cartoonish and overshadows the legitimate points the attorney is making. Dori also doubts Oshan will get $3 billion, or even $1 billion.

Oshan respectfully disagrees, and says what happened needs to be punished.

In eight days, there were five shootings in the CHOP area with six victims. Police did not reclaim the East Precinct until after the final shooting incident on June 29, which left a 16-year-old dead and a 14-year-old injured.

Seattle, King County, and Washington have 60 days to respond to the claim, which could eventually lead to a lawsuit.

Listen to the Dori Monson Show weekday afternoons from noon – 3 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.