Family of nurse killed at work by estranged boyfriend sues Pierce County Sheriff's Dept.

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — The family of Jessica Ann Marie Ortega is suing the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, claiming Ortega knew her estranged boyfriend wanted to kill her and deputies didn't do enough to help.

The News Tribune reported (http://bit.ly/2hztbsH ) Monday that Ortega was killed in February 2016 when 41-year-old Marcos Perea shot her at the University Place nursing home where she worked.

The suit claims that Ortega reached out to authorities and told them Perea was threatening to kill her. It accuses the deputies of being "lazy, nonchalant, uncaring, cavalier and grossly negligent" in their efforts to help.

Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said the suit "contains significant misunderstandings and misinterpretations."

The suit seeks unspecified damages on behalf of Ortega's estate and her 5- and 7-year-old children.