WASHINGTON (AP) — The District of Columbia has reached a $3.5 million settlement with the family of an unarmed black motorcyclist who was shot and killed by a Metropolitan Police Department officer during an attempted arrest for reckless driving.
News outlets report the settlement follows a December 2017 report from a police review board that found the 2016 shooting of 31-year-old Terrence Sterling “unjustified.” The U.S. Attorney’s office had cleared Officer Brian Trainer of criminal wrongdoing in summer.
Sterling’s family’s attorney Hassan Murphy says the review board’s findings marked a “dramatic turn” in the wrongful-death lawsuit.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement Wednesday that the city has sought to “illuminate what went wrong” and bring closure.
This is the largest settlement the city’s paid in a fatal shooting by a police officer.
FACT: A study by the NYPD shows a police weapons accuracy rate of less than 19% in a gunfight.
This number climbs to 30% if the suspect is unarmed.
The moment these payments start coming out of the pockets/funds of police officers and their unions, the discussion begins to change.
It’s too bad that they couldn’t eliminate what went wrong.
Bingo.