SEATTLE — The father of a 19-year-old Seattle man shot and killed in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone has filed wrongful death claims totaling $3 billion, seeking $1 billion each from the city of Seattle, King County and the state of Washington.
“We don’t exactly know where blame lies so we’re putting all the entities on notice and will begin the discovery process and flush out justice,” attorney Evan M. Oshan, who is representing Horace Anderson, told The Seattle Times about the claims filed Wednesday.
Horace Anderson is the father of Lorenzo Anderson, who was shot June 20 and transported by volunteer medics to Harborview Medical Center, where he died, according to the Seattle Fire Department.
The city, county and state have 60 days to respond to the claims, which are precursors to lawsuits.
Last month, Lorenzo Anderson’s mother, Donnitta Sinclair Martin, filed a claim against the city, alleging officials created a dangerous environment by allowing protesters to occupy six city blocks and that police and fire officials failed to protect or medically assist her son. Her attorneys, who did not specify a dollar amount, say they plan to file a federal wrongful-death suit.
King County prosecutors on Aug. 5 charged 18-year-old Marcel Long with first-degree murder in the case, accusing him of fatally shooting Anderson and fleeing the state. A warrant has been issued for Long’s arrest.
According to charging documents, Anderson and Long were in a fight a year ago and video of it was posted on YouTube. Anderson apparently lost the fight and he and Long had been feuding ever since, documents said.
The city’s Department of Finance and Administrative Services confirmed Thursday the claim filed on behalf of Horace Anderson had been received, according to spokesperson Melissa Mixon. She said the city does not typically comment on pending claims.
Cameron Satterfield, a spokesperson for King County’s Department of Executive Services, also confirmed his department had received the claim and has started reviewing it.
Harold Goldes, a spokesperson for the the state’s Department of Enterprise Services, said as of Thursday afternoon, a tort claim had not yet been received.
At 2:20 a.m. June 20, several people called 911 to report the shooting, records show. Fifteen minutes later, several police officers entered the protest zone and “were confronted by an aggressive and volatile crowd,” according to charging documents filed against Long. Some people in the crowd yelled that the shooting victim had already been taken to the hospital.
Seattle Fire Department medics had staged nearby, but authorities said the scene was too dangerous for them to enter without police securing the area.
At 2:43 a.m., police were notified by a security official at Harborview Medical Center that a shooting victim, later identified as Anderson, had been dropped off at the hospital. Anderson was pronounced dead at 2:53 a.m.
