The city of Cottonwood Heights on Friday paid $4,000,000 to the family of a man who was fatally shot by police in 2018.
The Utah Local Governments Trust, an insurance company in Cottonwood Heights, reached a settlement with the family following a gunshot by police on May 29, 2018.
The victim's mother claims that the settlement has left the family in shock. She went so far as to say that this settlement offers other families in their circumstances a platform to achieve similar outcomes, and law enforcement and other towns have realized that this behavior is no longer acceptable.
The victim's family filed a lawsuit against the Cottonwood Heights Police Department in May 2021, claiming that an officer injured their son and that the city handled the plaintiffs' protest of police wrongdoing after their child died.
According to investigators, the victim fled from the police following a collision in Cottonwood Heights. He was charged with using an airsoft or toy gun loaded with BBs to rob two different stores.
According to the documents used in the arrest, the Cottonwood Heights officer came up as the victim was fleeing, unlocked his car door, and shot him in the back while he was running. Two days later, the shooting-related complications claimed the victim's life.
The district attorney for Salt Lake County declared the shooting to be unjustified and chose not to launch an investigation.
The settlement of these claims was opposed by Cottonwood Heights' mayor, who stated in a statement that the city thought the charges in both federal and state courts were likely to be dismissed. However, the Trust's choice to put this matter to rest and avoid the dangers of a jury trial tainted by the present anti-law enforcement sentiments in society is respected by the authorities.
The police have a very tough job of keeping our neighborhood secure, and the city authorities completely back them in that effort. The devastated family has received the deepest condolences from the authorities for the death of their son.
