The family of Freddie Gray has reached a settlement of $6.4 million with the city of Baltimore.
In April, 25-year-old Freddie fell into a coma while in police custody and died a week later. The official autopsy report revealed that he had sustained a severe spinal cord injury, and six officers involved in his arrest and transport were subsequently arrested and charged. Local and national protests followed.
Per The Baltimore Sun:
The settlement — which is expected to be approved at Wednesday’s meeting of the city’s spending panel — will be paid out over two years, according to the mayor’s office. The five-member board is controlled by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
The payment is larger than the total of more than 120 other lawsuits brought against the police department for alleged brutality and misconduct since 2011.
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The city is accepting all civil liability in Gray’s arrest and death, but does not acknowledge any wrongdoing by the police, according to a statement from Rawlings-Blake’s administration.
“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,” the mayor 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 and potentially cost taxpayers many millions more in damages.”
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Under the proposed settlement, the city would pay $2.8 million during the current fiscal year and $3.6 million in next year, the city said.
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