PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal jurors have awarded $2.5 million to the family of an Oregon teen killed by Washington County sheriff’s deputies outside his home in 2006.
Hope and Brad Glenn, parents of 18-year-old Lukus Glenn, first sued the county and the deputies, Mikhail Gerba and Timothy Mateski, in 2008. A federal judge dismissed the case on summary judgment in 2010 but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a trial, saying the facts were in dispute.
On Thursday, the jury in the wrongful death lawsuit also faulted retired Sheriff Rob Gordon, who approved of the deputies’ actions after an administrative review.
The Oregonian reports the shooting occurred after Hope Glenn called 911, saying her son was drunk, armed with a pocket knife and threatening suicide. Deputies found the teen outside the home.
The lawyer for the county and the deputies, William Blair, argued the shooting was tragic but justified. The sheriff’s office says it hasn’t yet decided whether to appeal.
