Judge Rejects Lakewood Appeal Of $15M Leonard Thomas Verdict

LAKEWOOD, WA - Lakewood must pay a record $15.1 million verdict levied against the police department for the 2013 killing of Leonard Thomas, an unarmed black man who was shot during a standoff in Fife. U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Rothstein in a ruling issued Thursday chastised Lakewood's defense attorneys for suggesting that the original verdict was made out of fear of racial backlash.

Lakewood appealed the verdict, which was handed down in July, in August. Attorney Brian C. Augenthaler asked for a new trial because the first one, the appeal alleged, was tainted by allowing the plaintiffs to talk about race and even make "thinly veiled" references to Black Lives Matter.

Thomas, 30, died after a standoff in 2013 in Fife involving the regional Pierce County SWAT team. Lakewood Chief Mike Zaro was in charge of the team, and a Lakewood sharpshooter fired the bullet that killed Thomas.

Police responded to Thomas' Fife home after Thomas' mother, Annalesa, called 911 to report that Thomas was drinking and had slapped a phone out of her hand. When police arrived, a four-hour standoff ensued.

The standoff ended when Thomas exited his home to let his son go home with Annalesa Thomas. When Thomas emerged, Zaro ordered officers to enter the home through a back door to prevent Thomas from reentering the home, according to court records. When Thomas heard police enter his home, he picked up his son and began moving across the porch. Thinking that Thomas was assaulting his son, Lakewood police Sgt. Brian Markert fired one shot from 90 feet away. Thomas died on the porch.

You might be interested in reading these other stories about the Lenoard Thomas verdict:

• Citing 'Race Card,' Lakewood Police Want Leonard Thomas Verdict Tossed
• Lakewood Police Respond To $15M Leonard Thomas Killing Verdict

CAPTION: Interim Lakewood Police Chief Mike Zaro talks to reporters Monday, May 11, 2015, at police headquarters in Lakewood, Wash. Zaro says officers shot and killed Daniel Covarrubias in a lumber yard last month because he pointed a cell phone at them as though it were a gun.

Photo by Ted S. Warren/Associated Press