During a Wednesday, March 11, Clark County Council meeting, councilors approved a multi-million dollar settlement with the wife of a Vancouver police officer who was fatally shot by a Clark County Sheriff’s Office deputy in 2022.
County councilors unanimously agreed to pay the wife of Vancouver police officer Donald Sahota $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit she filed in federal court last year.
Sahota, 53 at the time, was fatally shot four years ago in January 2022 by Clark County Sheriff Deputy Jonathan Feller at his Battle Ground home after Feller mistook him for a suspect.
Sahota, off duty at the time, was at his home when a man was at Sahota’s Battle Ground residence after a robbery turned into a high-speed chase and manhunt that started off of state Route 503 near Brush Prairie, investigators said in a 2022 report.
Leading up to Sahota’s death, Julio Segura, 23, of Yakima, led officers on a chase after robbing a gas station. Segura had crashed near Sahota’s house when he then fled on foot, breaking into Sahota’s house, according to previous reporting by The Reflector.
Sahota and Segura fought while Sahota’s wife was on the phone with 911. The fight occurred on the front porch of the home when Segura stabbed Sahota multiple times, puncturing his lung, according to previous reporting by The Reflector.
Aerial surveillance from the incident shows the struggle ended as Segura ran for the door, and then Deputy Feller’s vehicle arrived. Sahota appears to retrieve a gun he dropped and then go after Segura, attempting to kick the door in, according to the investigation. Feller is seen exiting his vehicle, aiming and shooting four times in a matter of seconds. Three of the shots hit Sahota and one hit the house. Several additional officers then arrived on scene.
After a three week trial in 2024, Segura was convicted of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle and attempting to elude law enforcement officers.
Clark County Prosecuting Attorney Tony Golik declined to prosecute Feller after an outside review resulted in a divided conclusion.
