Hunter Newton was 21 years old and unarmed when police opened fire on him at a Milwaukie Taco Bell during a traffic stop just before 1 a.m. on September 30, 2024. Two years later, his family says he has permanent brain damage, cannot work, and may never fully recover — and they are now suing the officers and agencies they blame for it.
The family filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Portland Division, accusing Milwaukie police officers of assault and negligence, according to KOIN.com. The suit names Clackamas County, Milwaukie police officers and sheriff's deputies as defendants. It comes after officers had originally stopped Newton over a suspected traffic violation and a possible license issue.
What Happened at the Taco Bell
Rather than pulling over, Newton drove into a nearby Taco Bell drive-thru, where officers caught up with him and ordered him out of the vehicle. Police said Newton refused to exit and reported hearing a noise from inside the car that they believed was a gunshot. Officers then fired shots at him. The lawsuit says an officer told arriving deputies Newton was slumped over in the passenger seat.
Clackamas County sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene around 1 a.m. that morning. According to the reporting, law enforcement yelled at Newton to put his hands on the dash, on his head, or on the steering wheel, and fired chemical irritants at him — but he did not react to either the commands or the irritants. The lawsuit states that blood was visible inside the car and that Newton had visible gunshot wounds to his head and shoulder.
Family Says Aid Was Delayed for Nearly Half an Hour
Officers did not approach the vehicle for 40 minutes after the shooting and did not render medical aid to Newton until that same 40-minute mark had passed, per the account described in the reporting. Newton's family had previously said he did not receive medical care for roughly 30 minutes. He was ultimately transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
According to the complaint, Newton suffered a permanent brain injury and now faces lifelong cognitive and physical limitations. The complaint further states he will be unable to work for the rest of his life. An earlier account of the case described a bullet lodged in his brain as inoperable, per the family.
Grand Jury Cleared Officers of Criminal Wrongdoing
A Clackamas County grand jury found insufficient evidence to criminally charge the two Milwaukie police officers involved in June 2025. Sergeant Eduardo Sanchez and Officer Kwasean Akom have been identified as the two officers who initiated the stop and fired their weapons.
The Milwaukie Police Department said following the grand jury's decision that it would begin an internal administrative review of the incident. The department did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit by deadline, and a Clackamas County spokesperson said the county was unable to comment on pending litigation.
A Costly Pattern for Oregon Police Shootings
Newton's case follows a broader, costly pattern for police agencies statewide. Portland agreed to pay $3.75 million to the estate of Immanueal Clark, an unarmed man fatally shot by an officer in 2022 after being mistaken for an armed robbery suspect, according to a report citing The Associated Press. That settlement was described as the largest on record paid by the city to an individual plaintiff, and it came after a grand jury had similarly cleared the officer involved of criminal wrongdoing in 2023.
Whether Newton's case follows a similar path toward settlement or trial remains to be seen. For now, his family is left pressing a civil case in federal court while continuing to care for a son they say has been left with permanent injuries from a shooting that no criminal jury found grounds to prosecute.
