Editor's note: The above video on charges filed against Marcel Long in the death of Lorenzo Anderson originally aired Aug. 5, 2020.
SEATTLE – The estate of a 19-year-old killed in Seattle’s Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) zone in June 2020 has filed a new lawsuit seeking damages.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in King County Superior Court, names the city of Seattle, Mayor Jenny Durkan and Councilmember Kshama Sawant as defendants.
Horace Lorenzo Anderson was fatally shot June 20, 2020, near Cal Anderson Park. Protesters had occupied the CHOP zone for weeks after Seattle police officers abandoned the East Precinct. Marcel Long has been charged in Anderson’s death.
RELATED: Seattle police leadership didn’t violate policy in East Precinct evacuation, oversight group finds
Lawyers for Anderson's estate claim Durkan, the city council and other government entities allowed CHOP to develop, creating a “lawless zone.”
“We entrust our leaders to protect public safety, and there is no excuse for the willful indifference and pattern of inaction that lead to Lorenzo's wrongful death,” Attorney Evan M. Oshan said in a statement.
The new lawsuit follows three other claims that Horace Anderson, who is Lorenzo’s father, filed in July 2020 that seek $3 billion from the city, King County and Washington state. Those claims went unsettled, according to Oshan.
Anderson’s mother, Donnitta Sinclair, also filed a federal lawsuit against Seattle, which was dismissed Nov. 1. The judge ruled the federal lawsuit didn’t prove the city’s actions led to Anderson’s death.
The new lawsuit claims Sawant encouraged CHOP participants to “engage in lawlessness,” including leading a group of protesters to Durkan’s home. Durkan’s positive statements about CHOP also encouraged people to go to the area, the suit claims.
It also claims the city failed to provide Anderson medical assistance after he was shot, saying first responders were called “immediately,” but miscommunication led to a 30-minute delay in response.
The lawsuit does not state how much it seeks in damages, saying that would be determined at trial.
In a statement, Dan Nolte, a spokesperson for the Seattle City Attorney's Office, said "The City Attorney's Office will continue to defend the City in this matter."
KING 5 has reached out to Sawant’s office for comment and has not heard back.