The family of 19-year-old Lorenzo Anderson returned with Inside Edition to the scene where their son was slain last year.
Following the murder of George Floyd last summer, protests erupted around the country, including in Seattle, where a six-block area called the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” was barricaded and occupied.
It became the scene of a heartbreaking tragedy for one family, when 19-year-old Lorenzo Anderson was shot and died, his family says, waiting for an ambulance. Paramedics allegedly waited 20 minutes for clearance from police to go to the teenager’s aid as he bled out from the gunshot wound.
Inside Edition’s Lisa Guerrero and Anderson’s father Horace returned to the spot where his family says their loved one was slain.
“If they had did their job, my son would probably be alive today,” Horace said.
Horace is now suing the city of Seattle, its police and Emergency Medical Services departments, and the state of Washington, claiming they failed to come to his son’s aid due to negligence.
“We entrust the EMT to be there for us in times of emergency, and the system failed Lorenzo Anderson that night,” attorney Evan Oshan told Inside Edition.
Lorenzo’s mother, Donita, is still grieving.
“There’s questions that I need answers to,” Donita said.
“Why? Why did you guys not come and help that 19-year-old young man? Why?” she continued.
Murder charges were announced in the 19-year-old’s death, but cops have not yet arrested the suspect. Seattle police have previously claimed protesters kept them from reaching the scene, which delayed medical care. The Seattle City Attorney’s Office says it intends to investigate the family’s claims and defend the city in the matter.
