The family of an African-American killed by a police officer while in handcuffs will receive $ 20 million in compensation under an agreement with the authorities, the family's lawyer announced Monday (September 28th).
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William Murphy hailed a "
historic agreement
" with Prince George County (Maryland), near Washington, the amount of which is one of the highest for a police blunder in the United States.
William Green, 43, was shot six times on January 27 while in a police car with his hands cuffed behind his back.
He died the day after his injuries in hospital.
He had been arrested by a police officer, Michael Owen, for a traffic accident.
The agent had explained to have fired in self-defense on William Green while he was trying to take his weapon.
Michael Owen, who was not wearing a pedestrian camera during the incident, has since been fired from the police and charged with manslaughter.
"
This is a historic agreement that reflects the hateful, brutal and senseless nature of what happened to Mr. Green,
" William Murphy commented at a press conference.
Lack of responsiveness from the police
The lawyer notably lambasted the lack of responsiveness of the county police after the police officer, also African-American, had been the subject of two reports for violence a few months before, according to an investigation of the
Washington Post
.
“
There is a terrible trend of senseless violence, things in his past that were terrifying,
” he said.
Prince George County Director Angela Alsbrooks has "
accepted responsibility
" for William Green's death.
“
When we are at fault, we take responsibility,
” she said.
The deal comes two weeks after the agreement between Louisville, Kentucky, town hall and the family of Breonna Taylor, a young African-American girl killed in a controversial search in March, which received $ 12 million in compensation.
William Murphy had previously negotiated a $ 6.4 million deal between the city of Baltimore and the family of Freddie Gray, a young African-American who died in troubling circumstances after his arrest in 2015.