City to Pay $1.5 Million in Police Slaying of Teen
The City Council voted 11 to 2 this week to approve a $1.5-million settlement in a lawsuit brought by the mother of Devin Brown, the 13-year-old boy fatally shot by a police officer in February 2005 while driving a stolen car.
The lawsuit alleged the city was negligent in the hiring and training of the officer. The Police Commission ruled earlier this year that the officer violated policy because he was not in danger when he fired into the car.
Councilmen Greig Smith and Dennis Zine opposed the settlement. They said the officer acted properly and that the money unjustly rewarded a negligent mother.
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