WASHINGTON — The City of Baltimore has reached a $6.4 million settlement with the family of Freddie Gray, the man who died in April from an injury suffered while in custody of the city’s police.
In a statement, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake says “the proposed settlement does not resolve any factual disputes surrounding the events of April 12, 2015,” when Gray died after sustaining a spinal cord injury in police custody.
The proposed settlement comes before Gray’s estate filed a lawsuit seeking compensation.
“This settlement is being proposed solely because it is in the best interest of the city,” says Rawlings-Blake. It “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.”
Six officers who were involved in Gray’s arrest and transport have been charged with crimes ranging from murder to assault. All have pleaded not guilty.
Gray’s death resulted in protests and rioting in Baltimore in late April.
The deal would have to be approved by the city’s Board of Estimates, which is expected to meet Wednesday.
It would resolve all civil claims related to the City of Baltimore, the Baltimore Police Department, individual officers, and any other persons or institutions who might be deemed responsible for the death of Gray.
Under the agreement, $2.8 million would be paid during the city’s current fiscal year; $3.6 million, in the fiscal year beginning July 2016.
The Baltimore Sun reports that the payment is more than the total of more than 120 brutality lawsuits brought against the police since 2011.
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