The family of Alton Sterling, a Black man who was fatally shot by police in Louisiana, has accepted a $4.5 million settlement nearly five years after his death.
Sterling, a 37-year-old father of five, was killed on July 5, 2016 by Baton Rouge police officers outside a convenience store. Video of his death sparked protests nationwide. Lawyers for Sterling’s children filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, its police department and former police chief and the two officers involved in June 2017
The officer who shot Sterling was fired in March 2018, but a settlement announced Friday allowed him to withdraw his termination and resign retroactively instead. The officer who helped wrestle Sterling to the ground was suspended for three days. Neither was criminally charged.
The settlement “will allow the city to heal and provide a pathway for Mr. Sterling’s children to be provided for financially,” lawyers for the family said in a statement.
The East Baton Rouge Metro Council rejected three settlement offers before approving the final agreement earlier in February, just weeks before a trial was set to begin, the Advocate reported.
Court documents show the family moved last month to dismiss the lawsuit, which alleges the shooting was part of a pattern of racist behavior and excessive force by Baton Rouge Police.
“After nearly five years, the people of Baton Rouge are finally one step closer to getting much-needed closure in this traumatic episode of our…
