A suspect in a robbery and attempted murder that ended up with a Clark County Sheriff’s deputy fatally shooting an off-duty Vancouver Police officer is in custody.
On Jan. 31, Julio Segura, 20, appeared in Clark County Superior Court on charges of first-degree attempted murder, robbery and burglary, third-degree assault, possession of a stolen vehicle and attempt to elude. He is scheduled for an arraignment hearing on Feb. 11.
Segura’s charges stem from a police pursuit that led to Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Jonathan Feller fatally shooting off-duty Vancouver Police Officer Donald Sahota at Sahota’s home in Battle Ground.
According to a probable cause affidavit for Segura’s arrest, police responded at 8:17 p.m. on Jan. 29 to a robbery call at the Chevron gas station at the intersection of Northeast 99th Street and state Route 503.
The caller reported a man pointed a firearm at the clerk’s chest and demanded money, according to a report from the Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team. Police were advised Segura had a Glock handgun, which the suspect later said was an airsoft gun.
Segura headed north on Interstate 205 before he ditched his vehicle, which was reported stolen from Yakima, off of the interstate, according to the affidavit.
Police dispatched a drone in the area of the 7800 block of Northeast 239th Street after an emergency caller said they encountered a stranger who had crashed their car, the affidavit stated.
“Further information was that a resident of the location was a law enforcement officer and (Segura) was holding (Sahota) at gunpoint,” according to the affidavit.
Sheriff’s deputies reported that Segura and Sahota fought in Sahota’s driveway, the affidavit stated. In an interview after the shooting, Segura said he stabbed Sahota three times and knew Sahota was a police officer. At the time of the interview, Segura believed he was the one who killed Sahota. After he stabbed Sahota, Segura approached Sahota’s house while Sahota’s wife was on the phone with 911, the affidavit stated. Segura forced the door open, which left Sahota’s wife with a head injury.
Segura fled and dropped his gun, and Sahota picked it up before chasing after Segura, the affidavit stated. One of the responding officers, identified by authorities as Feller, shot Sahota who was on his front porch.
Other deputies moved in and saw Segura exit the house, the affidavit stated. When he was taken into custody, law enforcement realized it was Sahota who had been shot.
Feller was one of three from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office who shot at Kevin Peterson Jr., a 21-year-old Black man who died after a drug bust in Hazel Dell in October 2020. As of press deadline, Feller faces no charges for the shooting. Those close to Sahota are largely in support of the deputy, who is on critical incident leave, said the sheriff’s office.
The Clark County Medical examiner determined Sahota, 52, died of gunshot wounds to the torso. His manner of death was ruled a homicide, stated the release.
On Feb. 3, Vancouver Police Chief James McElvain participated in a press conference reflecting on Sahota’s death. His death was the first of an officer acting in the line of duty since the department was founded in 1883, a release from VDP stated.
McElvain said both his department and CCSO found Sahota’s death “extremely painful and emotional.” The release also had a statement from Sahota’s family, who said they had “no ill feelings” toward the sheriff’s office or Feller.
“While police officers are heroes, they are also human,” the statement read. “Being a law enforcement family, we understand that this is one of the hardest jobs in the world, often involving split-second decisions that mean life or death.”
The family’s statement targeted Segura as the ultimate cause for Sahota’s death.
“If this individual hadn’t made poor decision after poor decision, and ended up inside our home, we wouldn’t be where we are now,” the statement read.
Sahota’s mother also contributed a statement on her own.
“Don was really just a great man. Honest, kind, loved to help people. He was a great son, wonderful father and husband. He loved his job and loved serving his community,” the mother said.
