(USATODAY)The city of Baltimore has reached a $6.4 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by the family of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old man ...
(USATODAY)The city of Baltimore has reached a $6.4 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by the family of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old man black man who died in April after suffering a neck injury while in police custody.
The settlement goes to the city's spending oversight board Wednesday for formal approval, the mayor's office said.
Gray's death triggered widespread protests, accompanied by looting and arson in Baltimore, and prompted a national outcry. It ultimately led to the firing of Police Commissioner Anthony Batts.
"The proposed settlement agreement going before the Board of Estimates should not be interpreted as a judgment on the guilt or innocence of the officers facing trial," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a statement. "This settlement is being proposed solely because it is in the best interest of the city and avoids costly and protracted litigation that would only make it more difficult for our city to heal."
The mayor's office said the city would pay $2.8 million to Gray's family in the fiscal year that began July 1, with the balance being paid in the following fiscal year.
Last week a judge ruled that the six police officers charged in connection with Gray's death can be tried separately. The six officers have pleaded not guilty to charges ranging from false imprisonment to involuntary manslaughter. Gray died of a severe neck injury after being handcuffed and restrained inside a police vehicle April 12.
Gray, arrested after a foot chase by police officers, suffered a severe spinal injury and died a week later. Police said they chased Gray after he and another man spotted officers and suddenly started running away. Gray's death followed a line of incidents involving black men or teens dying at the hands of police, and the incident sparked protests throughout Baltimore and across the nation.
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