A U.S. district judge dismissed the civil rights lawsuit of a Seattle mother whose son was killed in the 2020 Capitol Hill Organized Protest, according to court documents.
Judge John Coughenour ruled on Monday that Donnitta Sinclair was unable to demonstrate that Seattle manufactured a dangerous situation for her late son, 19-year-old Horace Anderson, after police abandoned the East Precinct during 2020’s protests, according to a report.
The ruling is based on a law saying that “members of the public have no constitutional right to sue [city officials] who fail to protect them against harm inflicted by a third party.”
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Anderson was allegedly shot and killed on June 20, 2020, by another teenager with whom he had a history of hostility, authorities said.
The supposed shooter was arrested and faces first-degree murder charges.
Seattle is not liable for Anderson’s death because the mother could not show that “the City must have known that something was going to happen but chose to ignore the risk and expose the plaintiff to it anyway.”
Sinclair claimed the city opened itself to “lawlessness and … a foreseeable danger” when it abandoned the precinct, according to the suit.
The mother will appeal the decision, her attorney said.
“First, I’m confident we will prevail on appeal because this decision undermines government accountability and public safety,” said Mark Lindquist, Sinclair’s attorney. “Secondly, Donnitta still has state claims in addition to her federal claim. This dismissal is a small skirmish in a bigger battle. We will continue to pursue justice and accountability.”
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The Washington Examiner reached out to the Seattle City Attorney’s Office for comment but did not receive a response.
