Family of man killed by police takes legal action

OLYMPIA – Family members of a man who was shot and killed by Olympia police after a car chase have sued the cities of Olympia and Lacey, as well as the officers involved.

Jose Ramirez-Jimenez was shot in the early morning of Nov. 15, after a chase that began near Pacific Avenue and Martin Way in Olympia and ended near College Street and 26th Avenue in Lacey. An officer ended the chase by using his patrol car to pin Ramirez-Jimenez’s car against a curb.

Ramirez-Jimenez allegedly had shot another man in the leg during a dispute earlier in the evening, and officers attempted to pull him over because his Honda Del Sol matched the description of the vehicle involved in the earlier shooting.

The family filed the lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court, seeking unspecified damages. Ramirez-Jimenez’s mother, Maria Jimenez; his father, Jose Ramirez; and his son, Jose, all are named as plaintiffs.

“I can only hope Jose’s son can grow up with the financial security, if not the emotional security, his father would have provided,” Christopher Taylor, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, stated in a news release. “I also hope this complaint prompts the Olympia Police Department and Lacey Police Department to take a closer look at the individuals it is hiring and arming and charging with protecting the public.”

Police said they shot at Ramirez-Jimenez because he appeared to be reaching for a weapon. Ramirez-Jimenez had ignored repeated orders to show his hands and exit his vehicle.

Three Olympia police officers fired at Ramirez-Jimenez: Paul Bakala, Mike Hovda and Chuck Gassett.

The bullet fired by Bakala struck Ramirez-Jimenez in the neck, and the shot fired by Hovda struck him on the left side. Gassett’s bullet apparently didn’t hit Ramirez-Jimenez.

All three officers are named in the lawsuit and civil complaint. Also named are detective Michael Aalbers and officer Roland Sapinoso of the Lacey Police Department.

Bakala, Hovda and Gassett were put on paid administrative leave after the shooting and since have returned to duty. The Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office ruled in February that the shooting was a justified use of deadly force.

Protesters who threw lit torches at a west Olympia police car and station Jan. 16 said they were demonstrating partly against Ramirez-Jimenez’s death. More than 20 people were detained, and three were arrested.

Brian Sandford: 360-754-5425

bsandford@theolympian.com