The family of a Black man shot and killed by police in 2019 has reached a nearly $3 million settlement with the City of Colorado Springs.
Police body camera footage showed officers talking to 19-year-old De’Von Bailey and another man about an armed robbery reported nearby in southeast Colorado Springs in the summer of 2019.
A photo of De’Von Bailey.
(Mari Newman (provided))
Bailey ran as he was about to be searched. An officer could be heard yelling “Hands up!” three times before firing.
Police Sgt. Alan Van’t Land and Officer Blake Evenson said they feared Bailey may have been reaching for a gun as he ran. Body-cam footage released by investigators showed officers removing a pistol from Bailey’s pocket after he was shot and was on the ground in handcuffs.
The family’s federal lawsuit alleged civil rights violations, racial bias in policing and wrongful death. On Tuesday, the Colorado Springs City Council approved the $2.97 million settlement.
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“Any loss of life in our community, regardless of the circumstances, is a tragic event and the officers involved never wished to be part of this incident, nor did they want an outcome resulting in the loss of life,” the Colorado Springs Police Department said in a statement.
The department clarified that they stand behind the officers whom they believe “acted justifiably to protect both themselves and the community.”
A police cruiser in Colorado Springs.
(Facebook/Colorado Springs Police Department)
CSPD said the settlement is not, “in any way, an admission or indication of wrongdoing by these officers. Rather, it was a decision made to mitigate financial risk to the City and taxpayers.”
The settlement also calls for anti-bias training for the department’s police officers, the department said.
A state grand jury, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office reviewed the August 2019 shooting but declined to file charges against the officers.
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Bailey’s mother, Delisha Searcy, said in a statement provided to Fox News that she hoped the settlement would prevent similar deaths.
“My heart is broken at the loss of my son, but I am hopeful that the changes in the Colorado Springs Police Department will prevent another family from losing a child,” Searcy said.
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said that the settlement of the lawsuit filed against the city and the officers was in taxpayers’ best interest and avoided a costly jury trial.
FILE: Greg Bailey, front, speaks at a news conference about the death of his son, De’Von, during a police stop in Aug. 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Colorado Springs City Council approved the settlement in a 7-2 vote and Councilman Dave Donelson said before voting against it that the settlement would be “disheartening and demoralizing” for law enforcement and citizens.
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Councilman Wayne Williams, among those who approved it, said the deal was made with the support of police officers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
