Pittsburgh Mayor Reacts To $8M City Wrongful Death Lawsuit Settlement

PITTSBURGH, PA — Following the $8 million settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a man who died after city police repeatedly used a Taser on him, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said Thursday his heart "was with the victim's family, friends and loved ones."

The lawsuit was filed by the family of Jim Rogers, who died in October 2021 a day after the Taser incident in Bloomfield that occurred while police were responding to calls that he had stolen a bicycle. Rogers, who had a significant mental illness history, was unarmed when he was tased.

"As we put his family’s lawsuit against the city behind us, the city continues to pray for the family over this unnecessary loss of life," Gainey said in a statement.

"In addition to the monetary remedy of this settlement, we will also be reviewing our use of force policies with the family and other advocates. We are committed to changing policing in our city and working to rebuild community police relationships so that everyone in Pittsburgh ."

The lawsuit alleged that Officer Keith Edmonds used a stun gun on Rogers as many as 10 times. Rogers repeatedly asked for medical assistance, but got none at the scene.