Wife Testifies in Trial About Killing of Vancouver Police Officer

BATTLE GROUND, Wa. — Dawnese Sahota says she and her husband, Donald, were enjoying a candlelit dinner in their Battle Ground home when a 22-year-old robbery suspect, Julio Segura, rang their doorbell, insisting they let him in.

“I remember my husband saying he was an officer,” she testified.   She says her husband tried to detain him. Then she saw Segura:  “Reaching for something right now. My husband has him. He’s in white. My husband is on the ground. Yes, the officers are here,” she told a 911 operator.

Other officers arrived. “Yes, they are fighting.”  Then: “Oh, my God. He’s trying to get, What’s going on? Hello. Hello.

Gunshots. Gunshots.”

A deputy mistook Officer Sahota for the suspect, shooting and killing him. “I obviously knew he was hurt, but I didn’t, I didn’t know what had happened at that point,” Dawnese told the court.

Segura is charged with murder for his involvement leading up to the fatal shooting, even though he didn’t actually pull the trigger and kill Sohota.