[Date]
Police Chief Dave Ham
Seaside Police Department
1091 South Holladay St
Seaside, OR 97138
RE: The death of Cashus Dean Case and firing Corporal David Davidson
Dear Police Chief Dave Ham,
I’m writing on behalf of Mr. Case’s Family and Friends in collaboration with Pacific Northwest Family Circle (PNWFC), an organization led by families who have lost loved ones to police violence in Oregon and Washington in hopes. The mission of PNWFC is to educate the public, change laws and policies, and take other actions that hold our justice system accountable.
Right before being shot and killed by Seaside police Corporal David Davidson, Cashus Dean Case had just saved the life of his neighbor Rick Derby who was being mauled by three attacking dogs. Watching the KOIN video, Mr. Case is visibly (and understandably) animated. Witnesses claim he was getting ready to defend others from the dogs if necessary.
According to body camera footage, Seaside Police Officer Jess Vaughan can be heard misidentifying the two antique guns, which Mr. Case legally owned, as a “knife”. It seems like less than 1 second after realizing Corporal Davidson’s presence, Mr. Case turns towards the police officers and is shot to death. This is just about 12 seconds after officers passing through the front gate where Mr. Case lived.
Corporal David Davidson did not take very much time to assess the situation and Mr. Case barely had time to notice him before being killed, yet the Corporal’s actions were found justified by District Attorney Joshua Marquis. Frankly, we aren’t surprised. Since records dating back to 1992, all 347 deaths of Oregonians at the hands of police have been found justified by district attorneys. To our knowledge, no police officer in Oregon has ever been tried, let alone found guilty, for unjustifiably killing a community member.
US police kill more people in days than other countries’ police kill in years. It’s those police in other countries that prove there’s another way.
Today, Corporal Davidson has been restored to his former position and pay in the Seaside Police Department. As long as police do not experience consequences for their poor split-second decisions to apply deadly force, Oregonians will continue to be at risk from the presence of police in our communities.
I hope you will help this family receive some of the justice they deserve and start restoring the community’s faith in our justice system by firing Seaside Police Corporal David Davidson immediately.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Title, optional]