The family of a black man who was fatally shot by a black Maryland police officer have reached a ‘historic’ $20million legal settlement in his death.
William Howard Green, 43, was handcuffed in a patrol car earlier this year when he was fatally shot on 27 January 2020.
Corporal Michael Owen Jr, a 10-year veteran on the force has been charged with murder.
The Office of the County Executive in Prince George’s County announced that a settlement has been reached.
County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said, ‘Be clear there is no price that you can put on the life of a father, a son, a brother, an uncle”.
“There is no appropriate price tag to accompany a loss like that one, but we believe the actions taken that night and ultimately taken against his family warrant that settlement”.
The $20million agreement is one of the nation’s largest one-time settlements involving a police killing.
Owen Jr, shot William Green7 times according to police.
Police were responding to calls that a driver had struck multiple cars and was suspected of being drunk.
Cpl Owen and another officer were sent to Temple Hills, a suburb in Washington DC.
They approached Green who was in a car nearby. Green was removed from his car, handcuffed and placed in the front seat of the patrol car as the officers waited for a drug recognition expert.
Cpl Owen then entered the patrol car and sat next to Green.
A short time later, Green, who had his hands behind his back, was shot seven times, according to police.
Green, who taken to a hospital where he later died.
Police chief Hank Stawinski told reporters less than 24 hours after the shooting, “I have concluded that what happened last night is a crime”.
“There are no circumstances under which this outcome is acceptable”.
Cpl Owen did not have a body camera, and the police force said they were in the process of equipping all officers with it.
He was charged with second-degree murder, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, first-degree assault and use of a firearm to commit a violent crime, reports BBC.
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