Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Donald Sahota was inadvertently shot and killed by a Clark County Sheriff's Office deputy while attempting to apprehend a robbery suspect who was attempting to break into his home.
The suspect had fled police after robbing a gas station on Northeast 117th Avenue in Vancouver. Officers used spike strips to immobilize the car, but the suspect was able to flee on foot. As deputies were searching for the suspect, a woman called 911, reporting that a man who fit the robbery suspect's description had pounded on her front door, asking for help, and claimed he had been involved in a collision. She informed the call-taker that her husband was an off-duty officer and had gone outside to detain the man. The suspect and Officer Sahota became engaged in a struggle during which Officer Sahota was stabbed several times and dropped his firearm. The suspect broke free and began running toward Officer Sahota's house.
Officer Sahota retrieved his firearm and ran after the suspect as Clark County deputies arrived. One of the deputies perceived Officer Sahota as an armed suspect and shot him, not realizing he was an officer and the homeowner.
The suspect was taken into custody without further incident. In May 2024, he was convicted of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle, and eluding police. He was sentenced to 29 years in prison.
Officer Sahota had served with the Vancouver Police Department for almost eight years. He had previously served 17 years with the Gresham Police Department and 2 1/2 years with the Port of Portland Police Department in Oregon.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WA-33317D34- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
27 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer Sahota gave the Vancouver Police Department 27 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Vancouver community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Sahota.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Donald Sahota is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In WA, 111 of 339 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.7% of this state's fallen. That is 1.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Donald Sahota's cause is highlighted.
How Donald Sahota Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 29 years
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Donald Sahota is highlighted in Jan.