Government offers settlement of $19m to Colorado man’s family; read why
The family of a guy shot dead by cops in Colorado while suffering a mental health problem will get a $19m (£15.3m) compensation.
The settlement from both state and local authorities is the biggest lawsuit compensation in Colorado’s history.
Colorado man Christian Glass shot by police:
The deal, which was reported on Tuesday, also orders local police to make a crisis response unit and increase training in crisis intervention.
Christian Glass was murdered by a sheriff’s deputy the previous June. His death lured national awareness and spurred calls to improve how police react to people with mental health problems.
The 22-year-old had phoned the police after his vehicle became stuck on a barrier in the rural town of Silver Plume. He first told the dispatcher he was being followed and made other reports showing he was hallucinating.
His mom subsequently said he had suffered a mental health problem that day and was “horrified”.
Body camera video shows Mr Glass telling cops he is scared and denying to exit the vehicle. He can be seen creating heart shapes with his hands to the officials and praying.
He offers to toss two knives out of the car but is told by the cops not to.
After lengthy talks, officials break the car window and taser him. A panicked Mr Glass then brandishes a blade before being fired five times.
While an initial police report showed he was the attacker, a grand jury saw officers needlessly escalate the stand-off and said Mr Glass did not pose a danger.
An attorney for his parents, Sally and Simon Glass, said they expected police would intervene in similar cases.
A video message from the two will be shown to police officials at the beginning of a training class regarding how to intervene if they feel a coworker is going too far.
Two officials, sheriff’s deputy Andrew Buen and his chief Kyle Gould, are being charged over the case. Charges include second-degree killing and official wrongdoing.
