City Of Austin Approves $3.25 Million Settlement To Family Of Teen Killed By Police

AUSTIN, TX — Austin City Council members on Thursday approved a $3.25 million settlement — the biggest in city history — with the family of David Joseph, a 17-year-old unarmed teen who was shot by a since-fired police officer during an encounter when the distressed teenager was running naked through a neighborhood last year.

Mayor Steve Adler announced the settlement at the beginning of a council meeting with a typically packed municipal agenda. The multimillion-dollar payout is the largest sum ever awarded related to lethal police force. Former officer Geoffrey Freeman fatally shot Joseph when the unclothed teen ran toward him while ignoring his commands to stop.

Freeman later said he felt his life was in danger and fought unsuccessfully to gain his job back after former Austin police chief Art Acevedo signed off on his firing. Dashcam video of the fatal encounter later surfaced.

The February 2016 police killing was condemned by members of the black community in a case with innate racial undertones, even though the officer involved is himself an African American. Acevedo found himself as a key player in the controversy as he sought to promote peaceful protest by meeting with angered residents to assure them a thorough investigation would be conducted — earning the ire of some within his own rank and file who felt he hadn't supported the officer and a rebuke from former manager Marc Ott who suspended him for a few days for having spoken publicly about details related to the investigation.

Subsequent to the internal probe, police investigators acknowledged a widely held belief that Joseph was in the throes of mental distress at the time of his death. That theory was advanced given the fact the boy had removed his clothes before he died, walking around his neighborhood unclothed and incoherent.

Council member Ora Houston released a statement on the settlement. The payout ends future claims in the lawsuit filed by the family styled Ms. Ketty Sully vs. City of Austin et al.

"It is never easy when we have a violent event like David Joseph's death occur in our community," she said. "This city has been forever changed by the unfortunate death of this young man. My prayers go out to Ms. Sully and the extended family."

It is her hope the settlement might yield some measure of closure for the family, Houston said.

"The settlement will not close the void left in the hearts of the family yet I hope that it will begin to bring a sense of closure to the family and the community" she said.

For background on the case, following are previous stories from Patch:

Condemnation After Police Killing Of Unarmed 17-Year-Old Is Swift, Resolute In Calls For Justice

Family Of Slain Teen Killed By Austin Policeman Close To Finalizing Minimum $2M Settlement

Austin's Top Cop Disciplined For 'Insubordination'

>>> Photo via Facebook