Injured Whatcom sheriff’s deputies share pain, frustration and appreciation after shooting
One man already has had two eye surgeries and likely faces a third, has constant headaches, sinus and jaw pain and isn’t sure how much of his eyesight he’ll regain.
The other suffered a broken nose and still has 12 or 13 pellets in his face, including one behind his left eye and one in the bridge of his nose, and he also is suffering from headaches and memory issues resulting from a traumatic brain injury.
But both Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies are alive and slowly recovering more than three weeks after each was shot in the face with birdshot while responding to a 911 call for a Feb. 10 dispute between neighbors in the Peaceful Valley neighborhood.
“For me, given the circumstances we responded to, it didn’t need to go this way,” Deputy Jason Thompson said. “There was no reason for shots to be fired at us. That just adds to my frustration.
“There are certain circumstances where I can think of where maybe I would expect to be shot at, as crazy as that sounds. This was not that. To me, that makes it all the more frustrating — just trying to help a couple neighbors get through their seemingly benign dispute, or for benign reasons at least, and to be unsuccessful in being able to negotiate that without getting shot at.”
Thompson and fellow injured Deputy Ryan Rathbun filed a civil lawsuit against Joel Berck Young for assault and battery of the two deputies while they were in the line of duty. Thompson and Rathbun are seeking damages including those for past and future medical costs, pain and suffering and loss of income.
Young already was facing a number of criminal charges from the incident, including two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
The two deputies announced the lawsuit in a press conference with lawyer Daniel Horne Friday, March 4, in Seattle. Afterward, they spoke with The Bellingham Herald.
While both deputies, along with their families, are still clearly working through the physical and mental scars and the uncertainty of how much they can expect to recover and possibly return to their lives before Feb. 10, both expressed extreme gratitude for the support they have felt from their community and colleagues in the past three weeks.
‘It’s heroic’
While Rathbun has been a community deputy in the area where the shooting occurred for a number of years, Thompson recently joined him after serving as community deputy in the southern portion of Whatcom County. Both are veterans with the sheriff’s office — Rathbun for 16 years, Thompson for 13.
“We’re both familiar with community policing and how building those relationships really matters within the community,” Thompson said.
But never were those relationships more important than on Feb. 10, when Thompson and Rathbun responded to the 911 call and minutes later found themselves shot with pellets from a 12-gauge shotgun.
After the deputies had been shot, according to court records, Jesse Marshall, a friend of Cody Deeter, who lives two houses down from Young, stepped in and returned fire in Young’s direction in an effort to protect the deputies. The deputies were then pulled into a neighbor’s garage and received first aid while additional law enforcement responded to the area.
“It’s uncommon for a citizen to step forward to that degree,” Thompson said. “I’m not aware ... where citizens returned fire on behalf of law enforcement officers. Not only did they put themselves in harm’s way, but they don’t have the protective gear we have or the training, etc. etc.
“For us to both be wounded and have citizens standing over me while my partner is dragging me out of harm’s way and fire rounds, it’s really incredible. It’s heroic. There’s no other way to put it.”
Thompson said the neighbors continued to step up to aid them and deputies as they arrived, adding that he’s not sure that would have occurred in other in many other jurisdictions around the country in the current climate.
“We’re definitely eternally grateful to them, and so is the sheriff’s office,” Rathbun said, adding that he’s heard the neighbors will be formally recognized in the future.
‘Humbling’ support
The support for Rathbun and Thompson did not end after Young was arrested.
Whatcom County residents rallied behind the two injured deputies with a number of fundraisers, including a pair of GoFundMe efforts started by the Whatcom County Support Officers that generated nearly $35,000 combined.
“It definitely helps restore your faith in humanity, really, and what we do and why we do it,” Rathbun said of the support the deputies have received. “As that has been chipped away and eroded aggressively, this is something that has made me prouder than ever to do what I do and serve.”
Both repeatedly thanked the Whatcom County community and those outside the community who not only helped financially, but also sent moral support the past three weeks.
“The word I keep using is humbling,” Thompson said. “There’s a lot of anti-police rhetoric right now nationwide, particularly in our state with some of the laws that have come down the last year or so making our job a lot harder to do. It’s easy to feel like we’re not very well supported. ...
“The outpouring has been immense. I’ve gotten hundreds of cards, emails, text messages from all over the country, not just our community. People taking the time to have their prayer group sign the cards and send them to us, some from several states away. Literally every day, I’m opening mail that makes me cry because it is so touching and enduring.”
The healing continues
The past three weeks have only been the beginning for Thompson and Rathbun.
Rathbun said that just last week he was forced to lay face down 22 hours a day because of the effects of his injuries and let his fiance, Jessica Lawson, take care of him. He’ll likely have to have a third surgery on his eye.
Thompson, meanwhile, said that he was having a recent phone conversation with his daughter when she pointed out he began telling the same story for the third time during the call. The head injury has also causes him to tire quickly, he said, though he said he was lucky to be wearing his eyeglasses on Feb. 10, as they prevented two pieces of shot from possibly puncturing his left eye.
Both men face long roads to recovery, including the possibility of further medical procedures and likely will live with lead shot from Feb. 10 in their heads for the rest of their lives.
“Losing time from work, losing normal time with her (Lawson), and then just all the normal pain and the pain of facing another eye surgery ... it’s not pleasant having your eye operated on,” Rathbun said.
Neither man has ruled out returning to the sheriff’s office, though neither is certain if they will be able to see active duty again.
“That’s the unknown now,” Thompson said. “With the vision, it’s a wait-and-see. With the head injury, it’s a wait-and-see. I’m getting good care. I’m happy about that, but they can’t give me a specific timeline on how much better it’s going to get or when that’s going to be.
“What I’m going to discuss with my wife and the rest of the family is when the doctors tell me this is as good as it’s going to get and what that looks like, then I can make the determination of whether I’m able to go back to work or not. If I’m physically able to, I’d like to. I still have some years of service I’d like to put in, and I really enjoy working in Whatcom County.”
Rathbun also said he will have to take a wait-and-see approach, as he is expected to have some permanent vision loss and impairment from his injuries, but he does not yet know to what extent.
“My plan would be to return to full duty,” Rathbun said, “but not at the expense of my eye and not at the expense of me being able to return mentally and emotionally healthy enough to serve the community the way I have been.”
Rathbun said he was thankful to the community, the sheriff’s office, his and Thompson’s families, the other first responders on Feb. 10 and the doctors and nurses who have helped in their recovery since.
“There’s not enough words to say how much you all are loved and appreciated by us,” he said.
Thompson described the incident as “life changing,” not just because of the injuries, but also because of all the love and support he’s received since then, even though he said he usually likes to live outside the spotlight.
“I’m a man of faith, and I’ve told a few people I think Deputy Rathbun and I where were we needed to be when this happened for a reason. It needed to be us for whatever reason. I’m grateful to have survived. And the outpouring of love and support since has been outstanding. I can’t say enough about it.”
