A settlement has now been reached for a lawsuit that was filed by a civil rights attorney on behalf of the family of an unarmed man killed by a Richmond officer back in 2014. The family has agreed to an $850,000 settlement to "to avoid the costs associated with further litigation and/or a trial of this matter."
In a report by CBS, city officials announced on Tuesday that the settlement has been agreed upon. Civil rights attorney John Burris filed the lawsuit in federal court last January 2015.
The unarmed man who was shot has been identified as 24-year-old Richard "Pedie" Perez. As for the officer, he has been identified as Wallace Jensen.
The city of Richmond and the officer did not admit liability over the incident as part of the settlement.
Jensen shot Perez outside a liquor store back in September 14, 2014. The Perez family initially wanted to have the officer stripped of his firearm as well as his ability to carry a weapon but the settlement did not allow that. Officials said they hope the agreement will "provide some comfort and closure for the family of Perez."
Rick Perez, father of the victim, said in a statement that they never stopped to be interested in having the incident evaluated. However, the lawsuit was no longer getting anywhere after they wanted to get a real independent investigation. Rick added, "The fight would've continued on and wouldn't have resulted in anything more."
SFGATE reported that a coroner's inquest was done and the city also hired an independent private investigator for the incident. All of the investigations cleared Jensen of any wrongdoing. However, Vice Mayor Eduardo Martinez, along with council members Jovanka Beckles and Gayle McLaughlin, proposed a probe to make them feel "comfortable" as well as give them "a sense of trust" with their police department.
At the time of the shooting, Perez was heavily intoxicated during a struggle with Jensen. He was not armed but Perez did try to grab the gun of the officer out of the holster, who shot him thrice into his chest. However, the witnesses said Perez did not try to get the gun and his version of events were incorrect as the man walked away from the incident,
Richmond Standard noted that Perez was the first person killed by a Richmond police officer since 2007. The tragic incident has caused a number of protests and has also led to propositions to change protocol on the Richmond Police Commission.
After his death, the city purchased body cameras to record the encounters of citizens with officers. The city also assured the citizens that "it is "committed to remaining on the cutting edge of technology, training and strategies to prevent use of force in the field."
