Shooting of Unarmed Man Triggers Lawsuit Against Police

Police contend the car in which Dustin Dugan was sitting could be considered a weapon

A federal lawsuit filed against a variety of Perry County law enforcement agencies and the county states law enforcement shot an unarmed man eight times without cause in late February.

Dustin Dugan and Kenneth Helwig were sitting in a car on East Poplar Street in Junction City on Feb. 27 when Perry County Sheriff's Detective Kevin Starrett and New Lexington Officer Sky Wilson shot at the car after blocking it in with their vehicles. Dugan was shot eight times, but Helwig wasn't hit. Dugan has undergone 11 surgeries since the shooting, according to the lawsuit, and now wears a colostomy bag and will continue to suffer from the physical ailments brought on by the shooting for the rest of his life.