‘Reflects heinous nature of what happened’: $20mn settlement in US police killing of Black man

In one of the largest settlements in the US, the family of an African-American man, who was killed by a police officer of the United States, will receive $20 million, their lawyer said on Monday.

Earlier this year, William Green was shot by a cop while he was handcuffed, after he was arrested on January 27 in Prince George’s County, which borders the US capital Washington, after allegedly hitting several other cars with his own. Prince George’s County in the state of Maryland will make the payment to Green’s family.

“This is a historic settlement (which) reflects the heinous nature, the brutal nature the senseless nature of what happened to Mr. Green,” said attorney William Murphy said.

Green was allegedly shot six times by Michael Owen, who is also black, while he sitting handcuffed in the police car. Owen had said the two struggled and that Green attempted to take his gun. Investigators have dismissed his claim and he was fired and charged with murder.

“There is a terrible pattern of senseless violence, some things in his background that were terrifying,” said Murphy. Owen had a recent record of questionable use of force, but that nothing had been done, According to the Washington Post.

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said authorities would take responsibility. “There is no appropriate price tag to accompany a loss like this,” she said.

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The award came almost two weeks after the city of Louisville, Kentucky settled a civil suit by the family of Breonna Taylor, a black woman shot dead by police there earlier this year, for $12 million.