SPOKANE, Wash – Citing improper investigations and a lack of changes to policy, a Spokane law firm has filed a tort claim against the City of Spokane over a 2023 police shooting at a north Spokane Walmart.
Police shot and killed Kerry Jones-Hilburg in December 2023.
At the time, police said the man was stealing from the store and wouldn’t respond to police who told him to stop.
Police hit him several times with a Taser, then said Jones-Hilburg ran for the exit. According to body camera footage and court documents, one of the officers yelled that Jones-Hilburg had a gun.
Officer Karl Richardson fired a shot and hit Jones-Hilburg in the chest. He died at the scene.
Prosecutors determined Officer Richardson was justified in his use of deadly force.
Attorneys with Meyer Thorp Attorneys at Law filed a tort claim Tuesday, indicating that Jones-Hilburg’s children and his father will file suit within 60 days for wrongful death, wrongful detention and civil rights violations.
The claim says attorneys expect damages in the case to be more than $50 million.