“This was a tragic case,” City Law Department spokesman Nick Paolucci said “This was a tragic case. After evaluating all the facts, and consulting with key stakeholders such as the NYPD, it was determined that settling the matter was in the best interest of the city.”
It was really the best way for the NYPD to admit culpability without admitting guilt.
New York City Police Officer Richard Haste, who fired the fatal shot after chasing Graham, 18, from the street into his home, was initially indicted by a Bronx grand jury on a charge of manslaughter, but a judge threw out the case on a legal technicality, the News writes. A second grand jury declined to indict the officer, who said he fired because he thought the teen had a gun.
The settlement arrives in the midst of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, into possible civil rights violations against the NYPD officers involved in the Feb. 2, 2012, shooting, the report says.
The suit accused the department of trying to cover up the shooting, failing to properly train officers and engaging in racial discrimination through the stop-and-frisk policy.
The teen’s estate will receive $2.95 million; his brother will receive $500,000 and his grandmother $450,000 because they were in the home at the time of the shooting, sources said, according to the report. Graham’s mother, Constance Malcolm, will receive $40,000, the sources told the News.
Graham’s death sparked numerous protests in the Bronx and other parts of the city by demonstrators calling for justice. But is it enough? Is it ever enough?
PR
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