WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — A man was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years behind bars for the attempted murder of two Whatcom County deputies.
This comes over two years after the initial confrontation.
Joel Young, 63, will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.
The initial incident took place on Feb. 10, 2022, after Young and his neighbor got into an argument. The neighbor was burning garbage and the smoke was going into Young's house, which "enraged him," according to court documents.
Young and the neighbor argued before Young got a shotgun and fired birdshot into the air, prompting witnesses to call 911.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Deputies Ryan Rathbun and Jay Thompson arrived on the scene and told Young to drop the gun.
Deputies said Young, who appeared intoxicated, yelled at them and fired at the deputies. Before opening fire, Young said, "I don't care if you're cops. I'm going to blow your head off," according to court documents.
Both of the deputies were shot in the face. Two neighbors shot back at Young, allowing the deputies to scramble for cover.
It was a long road to recovery for the deputies. Rathbun almost lost his left eye in the shooting, and Thompson had a traumatic brain injury.
Former deputies and their families react
During sentencing, family members of the deputies recounted the nightmare they endured.
Tawsha Thompson, Deputy Jay Thompson's wife, recounted the text message she got from her husband,
"I'm okay. I've been shot. I'm on my way to the hospital. I love you," she read, wiping away tears.
Jay Thompson sat in the courtroom with his head in his hands, visibly shaken by having to relive the trauma of that day.
As Thompson struggled with the ongoing aftermath, his wife, also from a law enforcement background, pondered how close she came to losing her husband.
"How many funerals have we attended?" she wondered aloud. "How many widows never welcomed their spouses home? How many children would never hug their father again?
"I desperately wanted to deescalate the situation and make it better for everyone involved, including Mr. Young, but I wasn't given that chance," Rathbun told the judge.
Deputy Rathbun still only has 10% vision, but he is grateful he can open his eyes at all.
He said he forgives Joel Young, but that's about it.
"He doesn't get much of my mental bandwidth," Rathbun told KING 5. "I've got bigger, better, more important things to do."
For his part, Young told the families he is an alcoholic who was drunk during the entire incident.
"I'm extraordinarily sorry that I hurt you," he said. "I honestly don't know what the heck happened. I looked out my window and the next thing I know I'm at war. Whatever you do to me I'm gonna die in jail anyways, but I'm not a ruthless killer by any means. I'm a pretty nice guy."
Both deputies are now retired from law enforcement and moving on with their lives, but Thompson's wife told the judge they are far from healed.
"The journey of healing is ongoing," she said. "Physical scars are barely visible but the emotional, mental toll of knowing someone wanted you dead is, at times, debilitating."
Shortly after the shootings, Thompson and Rathbun made the rare move of filing a civil lawsuit against Young. At they time they said it was to send a message that you can't shoot law enforcement without paying serious consequences.
That case will now commence now that the criminal trial is done.