VANCOUVER, Wash. (KOIN) — Everyone who spoke about Vancouver police officer Donald Sahota told KOIN 6 News he was a dedicated family man and a beloved member of the law enforcement community.
Sahota, 52, was shot to death by a Clark County deputy in an apparent mistaken-identity as he struggled with an armed robbery suspect on his own front porch near Battle Ground around 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
Former co-workers
“Don was a kind and thoughtful person, someone we will always remember for his tenacious work ethic and commitment to bringing justice to victims and their families. We are grieving his loss and the entire situation,” Gresham Police Chief Travis Gullberg said.
“Don has many friends in the Port of Portland Police Department and we are all grieving his loss. He was an outstanding police officer during his tenure here and we’re grateful to have shared time with him while he worked for the Port for two and a half years,” said Port of Portland Chief Jason Wallis.
Sahota worked for both departments before joining the Vancouver police in 2014.
Shane Strangfield, the President of the Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation, said this weekend’s events impacted all law enforcement officers deeply.
“It’s a true tragedy and nobody wants to have to deal with this kind of situation ever,” Strangfield said. “We always think about these things happening, but we’re never truly prepared for when it does happen. So I know there’s suffering. I mean, they are suffering.”
Friends
He and his daughter trained and showed horses for several years with Command Performance Horse Training.
“It would not surprise me that he would be the one to run into a situation. Others may run away, he would be the one to run to the situation,” said Tim Wigren with Command Peformance.
Angela Nemjo with Command Performance said it was even less surprising when they learned his “wife was home, because he would’ve done anything for his family.”
“He would’ve done anythihg for his wife and his kids,” Wigren added.
They also said there was no better person than Don Sahota, that he was the kindest man you ever met. He left behind his wife and 2 children.
Neighbors
Dawn Martin and her family were at their home in Battle Ground Saturday when she realized something serious was happening in her neighborhood near NE 239th and 72nd.
She said she first noticed something going on “about 8-ish” when she saw a fire truck and an ambulance speed by.
“I stepped out and my husband yelled for me to get back inside because something had happened. They had shot somebody,” she said.
Later she saw the procession of police vehicles escorting his body.
“I saw the flashing lights going up and down the street. There was no sirens so I knew something was going on,” Martin told KOIN 6 News. “A couple hours later the sirens came on, so I knew something had happened but I didn’t know what. So I stepped out the front door. They had their spotlights on. Some of them were zooming really fast, like 60 or 70 mph.”
The Martins don’t know the Sahotas. but they want them to know they are praying for them.
“We support them. We love them. We don’t know them but we love them and we’ll be here.”
The Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team is leading the investigation into the shooting by the deputy, who “fired several rounds from a rifle.” A neighbor told KOIN 6 News he heard 4 shots.
The suspect, wanted for an armed robbery at a Chevron convenience store just 15 minutes before, surrendered at Sahota’s house.
The name of the Clark County deputy involved has not yet been released.
Sequence of events
Around 8:15 p.m., a white man, around 23-24 years old, walked into a Chevron convenience store in the Orchards area, pointed a gun and demanded money, then fled in a stolen, dark-colored Mercedes.
The store clerk, who shared his story with KOIN 6 News, said it was over quickly.
“A dude walks in at 8:15, pulls a pistol out of his pocket, aims it at my chest, hand over the slide and tells me to empty out the register,” he said. “I thought I was getting punked. It might have been fake. I looked for an orange tip to make sure it wasn’t an Airsoft.”
But it was not a joke.
“He got out of the store, 2 minutes maximum, got in the car and sped out of the parking lot,” the clerk said. “From what I saw it was a midnight blue Mercedes.”
The pursuit
Twelve minutes later, police intercepted the suspect headed north on I-205, but he didn’t stop. He managed to elude the police for several miles until spike strips disabled his car when he got off I-5 headed to Battle Ground.
The suspect — who has not been publicly named — ran.
As the containment was being set up, a Battle Ground woman called 911 and reported a man who matched the robber’s description was “pounding on their front door asking for assistance because he had just been involved in a collision,” officials said in a release.
The caller said her husband was an off-duty armed Vancouver police officer, Donald Sahota, who went to confront the suspect and detain him until the police arrived.
But the suspect and Sahota physically fought. Sahota was stabbed and lost control of his gun, investigators said. The suspect ran toward the house, still holding what he used to stab Sahota, while his wife was still on the phone with 911.
Sahota got his gun back and ran after the suspect. Just as he did this, deputies arrived at the scene. A Clark County deputy, mistaking Sahota for the suspect, “fired several rounds from a rifle.”
Sahota collapsed on his front porch. Despite emergency trauma procedures, Sahota died.
The suspect surrendered and was taken into custody.
Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle said the events are a tragedy.
“At this point we are just, it is pretty devastating,” the mayor said. “A tragedy like this for the entire law enforcement department, for his family, and all of the men and women that he works with, his friends and such.”
McEnerny-Ogle said Vancouver will lower flags to half-staff to honor Sahota.
KOIN 6 spoke with the mayor on AM Extra Monday morning.
“It is absolutely tragic and it is an anomaly,” McEnerny-Ogle said. “How devastating to the family and to the entire law enforcement it’s one of those very random events that we hope never happens — but unfortunately it did.”