Family of Freddie Gray gets multi-million dollar settlement
September 9, 2015
The family of Freddie Gray was awarded a tentative $6.4 million (5.7 million euro) settlement from the city of Baltimore on Tuesday, officials confirmed.
Gray, 25, died in April from an injury sustained in custody, adding fuel to a national outcry over how African Americans are treated by police officers.
After being submitted to the Baltimore Board of Estimates for a vote on Wednesday, the settlement can then be paid out. The amount was not an admission of liability, said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. She said it would put an end to any related civil legal claims and avoid drawn-out trials.
The settlement will not affect the criminal proceedings against the six officers charged with Gray's death, which was caused by a spinal injury incurred when Gray was handcuffed and improperly secured in the back of a police vehicle after being arrested.
On Thursday, Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams is set to hold a hearing on whether the trials should be held in the city, considering the massive protests and unrest spurred by Gray's death. The charges the officers are facing range from misconduct to assault and second-degree murder.
The city of Baltimore has paid a total of $5.7 million in police-related litigation since 2011, according to the Baltimore Sun.
es/jr (AP, Reuters)