Vancouver resident Ann Donnelly shares her perspective on the lawsuit filed by the family of Kevin Peterson against the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and others

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

The family of Kevin Peterson, killed in a confrontation with CCSO officers in October 2020, is suing the County, then-Sheriff Atkins, and the officers themselves. The wrongful-death suit will go to trial October 30. As the trial proceeds, let’s recall why Peterson encountered law enforcement, leading to his death.

The “why” leads us back to decisions Peterson himself made. He attended an advantaged school, Union High School, where some of his peers were earning scholarships to good colleges. But Peterson decided to go another route. Father of an infant daughter, he decided to enter the illicit drug trade. He then decided to acquire a firearm from a relative and elected to boast on social media about his intent to use it on police if confronted.

But he could still have survived the confrontation with police. Instead, he decided to resist arrest when confronted by sheriff’s deputies demanding that he drop the gun

Seemingly recognizing his mistakes, he died apologizing to his loved ones, saying “I’m going to jail for the rest of my life. I’m sorry.” We are so sorry. But Peterson himself ultimately is responsible for his death.

Ann Donnelly
Vancouver

---

Also read:

• 
  Opinion: When you’ve lost Christine Gregoire, you’ve lost Washington
  Former Gov. Gregoire says Washington’s $80B budget reflects a spending problem, not an income problem.
• 
  Letter: Present bridge plan has been in the expensive and unworkable planning stage far too long with no real end in sight
  Brush Prairie resident Bob Mattila argues the I-5 Bridge plan doubles costs by including light rail on the span.
• 
  Letter: Stop turning gas prices into war propaganda
  Camas resident Tony Teso fires back at Jonathan Hines, arguing militarism won’t lower fuel costs for working families.
• 
  Letter: Compassion requires accountability
  A medical provider and downtown Vancouver resident challenges whether current homelessness policies produce measurable results.
• 
  POLL: Should C-TRAN taxpayers be protected from paying additional costs tied to extending light rail to Library Square?
  C-TRAN’s board asked IBR to extend light rail to Library Square but voted down taxpayer cost protections.