Jail inmate’s lawsuit claims ex-Pelican Bay police officer shot him in back as he fled
A North Texas man suspected of trying to burn down a house with his family inside is suing a police officer whom he accuses of shooting him unnecessarily following an attempted traffic stop.
Sterling Myles Jonkheer, 24, claims he was unarmed and running away when he was shot twice in the upper torso on Oct. 31, 2017, by Ronny Desselles, who is now a former Pelican Bay police officer.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth, names the Tarrant County city of Pelican Bay and Desselles as defendants.
Pelican Bay Police Chief Robert Porter said it is against the police department’s policy to comment on pending litigation. Desselles could not be reached for comment.
At the time of the shooting, police said in a press release that Jonkheer had tried to attack the officer with a weapon.
Pelican Bay is about 30 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
Authorities say the officer-involved shooting case and the arson-related attempted murder case against Jonkheer, which occurred about a year after the shooting, are unrelated.
Desselles stopped Jonkheer while he was driving home and asked him to get out of his vehicle, but Jonkheer stepped on the gas and drove home with the police officer in pursuit, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit said Jonkheer didn’t stop because he didn’t want his truck to be impounded.
Desselles turned on his lights and sirens, but Jonkheer did not stop until he reached home, where he promptly got out of his pickup and tried to run away, the lawsuit says.
Desselles gave chase and shot Jonkheer in the back of the right shoulder at point-blank range and then knocked Jonkheer down, the lawsuit says. Jonkheer said he was trying not to move when Desselles shot him again. The bullet grazed the back of Jonkheer’s head, according to the lawsuit.
The suit says Desselles got off Jonkheer and walked away with Jonkheer and Jonkheer’s father, who saw at least some of the encounter, yelling at him — “Why did you shoot?”
According to the lawsuit, Desselles walked over to a shovel about 8 feet away and waved it saying, “That’s why.”
As Jonkheer was bleeding from the head and shoulder, several other Pelican Bay officers arrived, but none provided the wounded man with any medical attention, the lawsuit said. Deputies from the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office were the first to render aid, according to Jonkheer’s lawsuit.
Jonkheer was then taken to a local hospital, the lawsuit said.
“We are looking forward to finding out all the facts about this incident and getting justice for this young man,” said J. Mark Sudderth, who represents Jonkheer in this case.
The man suing also faces legal challenges
According to a criminal complaint filed in December 2017, Jonkheer is accused of striking Desselles with his elbow. The complaint also alleges that Jonkheer either used or exhibited a “sledge wedge” which is characterized as being capable of causing death or serious injury.
Jonkheer has not been indicted on a resisting arrest charge, in which the use or exhibition of a sledge wedge was referenced, court documents show. Jonkheer was indicted in June 2018 on a charge of suspicion of evading arrest and detention with a vehicle, where a motor vehicle was identified as a possible deadly weapon.
The attorney of record in Jonkheer’s criminal cases was unavailable for comment.
Jonkheer is alleging Desselles used excessive force during his apprehension. Jonkheer argues that Desselles could have safely arrested him without shooting him, and that he posed no threat prior to and during his arrest.
A little more than a year after he was shot by Desselles, Jonkheer was arrested in an unrelated case and is now facing multiple attempted capital murder charges, according to court documents.
Jonkheer remained in the Tarrant County jail on Friday, accused of pouring gasoline on a residence that contained six people: Robert Jonkheer Sr., Wyatt Jonkheer, Theodore Jonkheer, Christy Mills, Robert Jonkheer Jr. and Anna Jonkheer.
A witness said he or another person at the house took a nearly full gasoline can from Sterling Jonkheer, who ran to a neighbor’s house shortly thereafter, according to court documents. The witness said he had been drinking on Nov. 23, 2018, the day of the offense, and so was Sterling Jonkheer.
“The porch is made of concrete and is in front of a brick house,” the witness said.
Sterling Jonkheer was arguing with one of the people inside the house earlier that day, the witness said.
On the day of the offense, “the defendant was supposed to be babysitting the kids but the defendant wanted to have sex with a girl outside and wasn’t watching the kids, so Robert Jonkheer Sr. and the defendant started arguing,” a court document said.
Robert Jonkheer Sr. said that Sterling Jonkheer would not get a job, had wrecked his truck twice and had put a bullet hole in the roof of his house. Jonkheer Sr. told authorities that Sterling Jonkheer hit him in the chest with hamburger meat and that he wanted to press charges, according to the court document.
