Investigative details emerge about off-duty Vancouver officer shot and killed by Clark Co. deputy
By Spencer Thomas
Click here for updates on this story
CLARK COUNTY, Washington (KPTV) — A full investigative report has now been released detailing the sequence of events that led up to the death of Vancouver police officer Donald Sahota.
The officer was shot by a Clark County deputy on Jan. 29 outside his home in Battle Ground after being mistaken for a fleeing robbery suspect.
The report includes aerial footage, photos and interviews used during the investigation.
A drone and the Portland Police Bureau’s Air One Cessna flew over a property in Battle Ground, looking down on a tragic scene that would ensue.
The robbery suspect, Julio Segura, is seen running on foot approaching Sahota’s home. Just moments after, drone video captures an altercation between Sahota and Segura.
In the interim, Sahota’s wife inside the home was on the phone with emergency dispatch pleading for help. The following is a transcript of part of their conversation.
Sahota’s wife: “He’s fighting with him right now. I don’t know what to do. Oh my gosh.”
Dispatcher: “I want you to keep a safe distance. They’re coming in now.”
Sahota’s wife: “I can’t. I have to go help him.”
Dispatcher: “I know. It’s not safe. Do you see a gun on the suspect? Or is it just your husband?”
Sahota’s wife: “He’s reaching for something right now. My husband is in white. He’s hitting my husband.”
An aerial view shows one person run into the home. The other grabs a gun on the ground, attempting to chase after the other. At this time, law enforcement arriving on scene are unsure of who is who.
This footage now shows Clark County deputy Jon Feller’s cruiser driving up to the scene.
No more than four seconds after stepping out of his vehicle, Feller shot who he thought was the suspect. But he mistakenly fired four times at Sahota.
Among the materials in this report, was an interview with Feller.
“I believed that if that person got in that house, they would kill them,” he said. “I had to stop that person from getting in and hurting those innocent people, so I fired my gun multiple times.
“Moments later, I saw two hands come out of the front door. It was another male, and then somebody, I don’t know who, yelled something to the effect, ‘That’s the suspect.’ And then I realized that I hadn’t shot the suspect. I had shot the homeowner who was an off-duty law enforcement officer.”
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
