City OKs Damages for Victim’s Family
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved paying $2.6 million to the family of a man who was fatally shot by police on New Year’s Eve 1999.
According to council members who voted in favor of the settlement, members of the LAPD’s now-defunct gunfire suppression detail had mistakenly thought Terry Taylor, 35, was armed when they confronted him--and then shot him--in his backyard 2 1/2 years ago.
“This was a bad shooting,” said one city official. “It was in the best interest to settle it. We would have lost otherwise.”
An attorney representing Taylor’s wife and five children said members of the family had been having a small party at their South-Central Los Angeles home when Taylor’s brother went outside at midnight to shoot his gun into the air. That attracted the attention of the LAPD’s gunfire suppression unit, which responded with guns drawn.
“They came into the backyard and someone yelled, ‘Gun!,” said attorney Sonia Mercado. “They shot at Mr. Taylor, who was by his backdoor.”
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
