The daughters of an officer with the Tacoma Police Department who was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call in November 2016 have reportedly filed a wrongful death suit against the agency.
According to KOMO News, sisters Victoria and Gabriella say that two events preceding the incident in which their father—Officer Jake Gutierrez—was murdered could have prevented his death.
They point to an officer safety alert that was issued about the gunman—Bruce Johnson—that never reached their father, and that an arrest warrant for Johnson was never acted upon.
"If protocols were followed our father would be here today and since they weren’t followed we have suffered a great loss in our lives," said Victoria.
The city said in a statement, "The City is aware of the lawsuit related to Jake's death from members of his family. The City's Legal Department has evaluated the claims being asserted, and while we are deeply sorry, and share his family's tremendous sense of loss, the facts alleged in this lawsuit are simply insufficient to support liability against the City."
