LOS ANGELES : Man Who Said He Was Framed Wins $375,000
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a $375,000 settlement of a man’s claim that police framed him for a robbery to cover up his being shot by officers.
Council members unanimously and without discussion approved the payment to John Shelton Jr., who was shot in the chest by a Los Angeles police officer on July 22, 1989, in an alley near Broadway and Florence Avenue. Officers said they mistook Shelton for a suspect in a holdup and thought he was about to fire a gun. No gun was found.
But Shelton, who was on parole for an arson conviction, was sent back to prison for 11 months after a parole hearing at which several of the officers testified. Shelton sued 15 officers, including Sgt. Stacey C. Koon, who was convicted this year of violating the civil rights of Rodney G. King.
Shelton’s attorney contended that Koon masterminded the cover-up by telling officers at the scene what to write in their reports. In testimony, however, Koon said he remembers very little about the incident.
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