Family of man killed by Ohio college police officer gets $4.85 million in settlement

[January 19, 2016]  By Kim Palmer
 
 CLEVELAND (Reuters) - The family of a black Ohio man killed by a University of Cincinnati police officer during a traffic stop will receive $4.85 million and free college tuition for his 12 children in a settlement, attorneys said Monday.

Body camera video of the traffic stop showed Samuel DuBose, 43, was shot in the head by Officer Ray Tensing in July last year after he was pulled over for a missing front license plate on his vehicle.

DuBose attempted to prevent the officer from opening the car door before the car started slowly rolling forward. Tensing, who is white, pulled his gun and fired once.

DuBose's death fueled demonstrations and intensified a debate on policing and race in the United States that helped lead to the founding of the Black Lives Matter movement.
 

Attorneys for the family said in a statement that the settlement, including the free tuition, is worth about $5.3 million. The agreement must be approved by the Hamilton County Probate Court before it is finalized.

The agreement includes an apology to the family from the school president Santa Ono. The University will work with the family to establish a memorial on campus commemorating DuBose, the statement said.

"This agreement is also part of the healing process not only for the family but also for our university and Cincinnati communities," Ono said in a statement.

The case was mediated in closed-door sessions over a two-day period, family attorney Billy Martin said.

Tensing, who is white, has pleaded not guilty to murder and voluntary manslaughter charges and is free on $1 million bond. No trial date has been set. If convicted Tensing faces a possible life sentence.

An independent report on the shooting released in September called it "entirely preventable."

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Frances Kerry)

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