VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — The family of a black teen who was shot and killed by a white police officer last year says the city of Portsmouth, Virginia, has agreed to pay a $1 million settlement.
Family spokesman Earl Lewis Jr. told The Associated Press on Friday that the teen’s mother has verbally agreed to the figure but believes her son’s life was worth far more.
Lewis says the family recently filed a notice of intent to sue the city.
William Chapman II was shot outside a Wal-Mart by former Portsmouth police officer Stephen Rankin. The 18-year-old Chapman was suspected of shoplifting when a struggle ensued.
Rankin later lost his job. A jury convicted him last month of voluntary manslaughter before recommending a 2 ½ year prison sentence.
The Virginian-Pilot (http://bit.ly/2d5wsjF) first reported the settlement.
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Have all the police settlements paid for by collecting a special assessment on property tax bills, and you will have whitened America screaming for
saner police procedures, better screening of officers before hiring, and additional training programs after hiringstrict limits on damage settlement by law-enforcement agencies.