Investigators have identified three Clark County sheriff’s deputies who were involved in the shooting of a 30-year-old Black man last week in Hazel Dell.
The Vancouver Police Department — which is handling the release of information and leading the investigation into the shooting — previously said four deputies made a traffic stop at 7:41 p.m. Thursday near Northeast 68th Street and Northeast Second Avenue in Hazel Dell, and one of the deputies shot Jenoah Donald, the driver.
A news release issued Tuesday says further investigation found that three deputies were involved. Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said in an email that a fourth deputy arrived after the shooting occurred.
The deputies were identified as Sean Boyle, who has been with the sheriff’s office for 21 years and is assigned as a K-9 handler at Central Precinct; Greg Agar, a deputy of six years who is assigned to swing shift at the West Precinct; and Holly Troupe, a deputy for 1½ years who works the night shift out of the West Precinct.
They have been placed on critical incident leave, which is standard protocol. The news release did not state which deputy shot Donald.
In September 2018, Boyle fired his weapon during the pursuit of a man in Hazel Dell who drove away from police after crashing into a parked vehicle in the Felida area, according to court records. The suspect, Christopher Franklin Rollins, then 23, was not wounded. He eventually crashed his pickup and fled on foot, but he was caught and arrested. The Regional Major Crimes Team investigated the shooting, but whether prosecutors found the deadly use of force to be justified is unknown.
Following Thursday night’s shooting, Donald, of Vancouver, was taken to a hospital, where he remains.
A Tuesday update on a GoFundme page set up for Donald’s family says he remains in an intensive care unit. Doctors have told his mother, Sue Zawacky, that there is nothing more they can do to save his life, but she is hoping he’ll recover.
Donald was shot less than a mile from where Clark County deputies fatally shot Kevin Peterson Jr., a 21-year-old Black man, about three months ago. Peterson’s shooting prompted demonstrations in Vancouver. However, NAACP Vancouver said that Donald’s family does not want any public demonstrations at this time. Instead, residents are encouraged to submit comments to the sheriff’s office and police department demanding transparency and urgency in the investigation, according to the NAACP.
The Vancouver City Council was pressed by residents on race, policing and body-worn cameras during its citizen forum Monday night.
Tacoma-based Herrmann Law Group, which is representing Peterson’s family, is also representing Donald’s family.
Attorney Lara Herrmann said a mother shouldn’t have to wait this long to hear why police shot her son.
“Neither should the public. When law enforcement leaves people in the dark, it looks like they’re circling the wagons,” Herrmann said.
Mark Lindquist, another attorney with the law firm, said holding back information on a police shooting is bad policy and violates the spirit of the Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act, formerly known as I-940. Approved by voters in 2018, the law removed a barrier that made it difficult to bring charges against law enforcement officers deemed to have used deadly force wrongfully, and added training requirements.
