Cops Shoot This Man 16 Times. He Gets $5.5 Million For Their ‘Mistake’

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Dustin Theoharis, now 32, was taking a nap on February 11, 2012 when 16 bullets, fired by two police officers, broke his jaw, shoulder, spine, both arms and legs, and damaged his liver and spleen. His crime? He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The King County Sheriff’s deputy Aaron Thompson and Washington Department of Corrections officer Kristopher Rongen were looking for a convict who had violated his parole. After nabbing him, they proceeded to search Cole Harrison’s home in Auburn, Washington for firearms. Theoharis was sleeping in the rented basement room of Cole’s home when the two cops rushed into the room and asked for his ID. When he got up and tried to reach for his wallet, the officers ‘thought’ he was searching for a gun and fired 20 bullets at him, 16 of which hit Theoharis.

Dustin

Thompson and Rongen were never charged. Theoharis was unarmed, but the Sheriff s Office as well as the Department of Corrections ruled the shooting justified and in compliance with policy.

In 2013, attorneys for Theoharis filed a $20 million suit against the State Department of Corrections. The Department of Corrections issued this statement in reply: We have already conducted a thorough review and determined that the specialist used appropriate force and followed the proper procedures in a dangerous situation. We will wait until after the claim is resolved to discuss specific details.

But later that year, King County paid him $3 million after Sheriff John Urquhart personally apologized for the shooting and acknowledged it was wrong. In February 2015, the state too agreed to pay Theoharis $2.5 million for the shooting after US District Judge Richard Jones denied the state’s request to dismiss an excessive-force claim, citing conflicting versions of the incident.

It’s a tough job they have to do. Sometimes they make mistakes,” he told the Seattle Times in his first sit-down interview recently. The ‘mistake’, however, cost him a lot. Theoharis loved his job as a refrigeration mechanic; he can’t do it anymore. He can’t stand on his legs for long stretches, can’t take an impromptu hike, and the coordination in his left arm and hand is gone.

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15 COMMENTS

  1. THIS IS NOT THE APROPRIATE MANNER TO SHOOT SOMEONE IF THEY SEARCH FOR A GUN YOU FREAKING PULL THE GUN ON HIM WITH THE SAFTEY ON AND IF HE ACTUALLY PULLS A GUN OUT THEN YOU FIRE ONCE!..IN THE LEG OR SOMETHING YOU DONT FIRE AT A PERSONS FACE THAT’S JUST WRONG I MEAN IF THIS GUY HAD A FRONTAL LOBE AND ANY EMOTION HE WOULDNT HAVE SHOT HIM IN THE FREAKING JAW, HE HAS NO TRAINING WHATSOEVER HE SHOULD BE DETAINED!

      • Couple things, first off you are right that they should not have fired without seeing a weapon.

        However, you are dead wrong in the rest of your rant. Deadly force is only used if there is an immediate threat of death or grievous bodily harm. Therefore, you fire your weapon to stop that threat as quickly as possible. If you have time to try and hope to shoot at someone’s leg, then there is not an immediate threat to your life and you should not be shooting at all. Secondly, it’s hard enough to hit a man in the torso when you are struggling for your life, good luck aiming at his leg. Also, in case you didn’t realize, people shoot guns with their arms. If you believe someone wants to shoot you, it would be beyond idiotic to shoot them in the leg.

        Law enforcement NEVER, and I mean NEVER EVER shoots to injure. They shoot to stop the threat, and therefore they must continue to shoot until the threat is stopped. You’ll basically never stop the threat with one bullet, as you suggest.

        If you have no training in or knowledge of law enforcement, please do not attempt to comment on the training of law enforcement.

        • Doesn’t mean it isn’t wrong. I mean, why would you fire 16, SIXTEEN, fucking bullets at a person who MIGHT be reaching for a gun? Even though you just asked for the man’s ID.

          I believe you when you say these policeman were trained to eliminate threats when confronted with one, but you can’t deny it’s ruthless. More innocent people die because of this method than there are lives saved. The training to become a police officer should be focussed on helping people, not create hostility towards every fucking citizen that’s around.

          Plus in my country the police always shoots in the legs or arms, never shoots to kill. Has worked every time.

        • You’re fucking dumb. Plain and simple, you fucking pig. Yeah, I know. I know a lot more than you think, pig. Fucking pigs backing up their fucking piglet pigs. You disgust me, along with your pig allies, ya fucking piece of shit. You’re garbage, we don’t need you. We, as citizens, should rule the fucking city. It’s ours, not yours. You work for us, pig, fucking remember it.

        • First off the police in America are pieces of shit.. Its easy to understand why people are wasting them everyday.They always use excessive and unnecessary force.I was walking down the highway and flagged down a state trooper for assistance and even when i cooperated fully he assaulted me.. Apparently walking threatens police also.. what pieces of shit..

  2. But why would they ask someone for ID then shoot them for trying to get it out? Where did they think he was gonna get it from? Out the sky?

  3. Mhh… srsly wasnt there any other way of protecting yourself?
    I mean how the fuck do you put 16 Bullets in somebody just because you thought that he is reaching for a gun?!
    Like srsly couldnt you just shoot him once in the arm?

    I love how the cops in america are professionally trained.

  4. “Acted in accordance with procedure!?” Shit, he was complying. Did I miss something and everyone became a Sorceror.. We can all make random shit like I.D.’s and guns pop into our hands without moving them!? Where is the wallette kept? I keep mine in my back pocket, even sleeping. If someone asks for it, I’m going to have to reach IN MY HQCK POCKET! Holy fucking shit… I’m so furious and lost right now… FTP/FTG. Divided we stand, United we RISE. We do NOT forgive. We do NOT forget. For we are Legion. We know what they know. And then some. We have what they have. And then some. We will never leave. We are you. You are us. For he whom has opened his eyes shall never find peace with the eye closed. We are Anonymous. Expect them, sure. Expect us, of course. But beware, for the most fear you shall hold is of the expectance of ME. ISIS, Monsanto, American Govt., and ALL corruption abroad has, and is experiencing just the beginning. The foothold has been held. The expansion is is progress. We cannot come, for we have been here 😉

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