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Happy Holidays from the Reporter staff Mural Maker | Meet artist Rick Moreno, the man responsible for several murals and window paintings downtown. [3]
FRIDAY, DEC. 19, 2014
Brown family suing state, claim lack of supervision led to death BY DEAN A. RADFORD dradford@rentonreporter.com
The parents of 12-year-old Alajawan Brown are suing the state Department of Corrections, claiming the convicted felon who murdered him 4 1/2 years ago wasn’t properly supervised. The lawsuit was filed Nov. 24 in King County Superior Court by Louis and Ayanna Brown of Skyway. No damages were specified in the lawsuit. The Brown family filed a tort claim against the corrections department in September, which asked for $5 million in damages Alajawan was shot in the back on April 29, 2010, by Curtis John Walker, who mis-
took him for a gang member. Walker had just been involved in a gang shootout at an apartment complex near the 7-11 store on Martin Luther King Jr. Way where he gunned down Alajawan. Walker was 36 when he was convicted of first-degree murder with a firearms enhancement in February 2012 and sentenced on March 22, 2012, to 50 years in prison. It was at the sentencing that the Browns, after following the investigation closely for two years and sitting through the threeweek trial, learned the extent of Walker’s criminal background and that he had violated his supervision by selling drugs and possessing firearms, according to the lawsuit. It was the first time they had reason to
believe the state corrections department “had missed an opportunity to arrest Walker and get him off the streets before he had a chance to kill their son,” according to the Alajawan Brown lawsuit. “DOC failed miserably in its supervision of this dangerous offender,” the Browns’ attorney, Nathan P. Roberts, said in an interview Tuesday. “Had DOC done its job properly, he would have been in jail, and Alajawan would still be alive today.” A spokeswoman for the state corrections department declined to discuss the case because of the lawsuit.
Ayanna Brown also declined to comment, referring questions to Roberts. Finally recuperated from their stress, the Browns contacted an attorney in March 2014 to look into the possibility the state corrections department also bore responsibility for Alajawan’s murder, according to the lawsuit. “It was one thing to know that their son’s murder was a senseless act of violence; it’s another thing to know it should have been prevented by law enforcement, who instead turned a blind eye,” Roberts said in an interview. Norah M. West, a spokeswoman for the state corrections department, declined to comment specifically on Walker’s terms of [ more BROWN page 9 ]
Transportation again tops city’s priority list 2015 legislative wishes also include $3.6 million for Sunset Park construction BY BRIAN BECKLEY bbeckley@rentonreporter.com
A BLUE holiday The Renton Chamber of Commerce’s annual holiday party was Seahawks-themed this year and featured a giant tailgating vehicle, Miss Washington, the Blue Thunder drumline and Blitz, as well as a live auction and tailgate food. TRACEY COMPTON, Renton Reporter
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With 2014 already starting to slip into the rearview mirror, the focus is beginning to move to 2015 and before finishing for the year, the City Council adopted its priorities for the state legislature’s next session. Included on the city’s list this year is not only the legislative changes and funding they’d like to see but also a request for $3.6 million for the construction of the Sunset Neighborhood Park. Transportation issues once again lead the way for Renton, particularly the state Route 167/Interstate 405 interchange, which Communications Director Preeti Shridhar called “very very critical, very important.” “We really really need the legislature to enact and update and adopt a comprehensive transportation package,” she said, reiterating that the interchange is considered the worst in the state for traffic. “We [ more PRIORITIES page 11 ]