Mother of slain EWU student suing three men accused of murder

The mother of an Eastern Washington Student who was shot and killed outside of a club in north Spokane is suing the three men accused of murder.

Gabriela Gonzalez, on behalf of her son Eduardo Villagomez, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Spokane County Superior Court on Jan. 11. The suit alleges the three men were negligent and responsible for killing Villagomez in the parking lot of the The Palomino Club on Jan. 18, 2016. Gonzales is seeking an award of monetary damages proven at trial, in addition to attorney’s fees and costs.

Anthony G. Williams, 24, Lashawn D. Jameison, 23, and Kwame D. Bates, 28, were charged in February 2016 with murder and other charges, including drive-by-shooting. Williams this year pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Jameison, a former EWU football player, and Bates are scheduled to begin trial later this year.

The three are accused of starting a gun battle in the club’s parking lot after a party honoring Martin Luther King Jr. A bullet from one of the mens’ guns is alleged to have struck Villagomez in the head, killing him.

Williams, who police believe initiated the gun battle, was sentenced to 10 years and three months in prison – the lightest sentence possible for a sentencing range that includes a maximum term of life. The 24-year-old, who has no prior felonies, also was ordered to pay $10,800 in legal fees.

In the suit against the three, Gonzalez argues the men “owed a duty” to Villagomez and breached that when they participated in gun fire “that ultimately led to his death.”

The lawsuit also names Jazzmine Dunlap, a woman who is alleged to have driven Williams from the scene after the shooting, and John Does 1 through 22, who are either attached to the venue where the shooting took place, or friends of the accused who drove the accused to the club. Dunlap did not face criminal charges related to the incident.