WICHITA, Kan. — The family of a Black man shot in the back by a white Wichita police officer in 2012 has reached a $900,000 settlement with the city.
The Wichita Eagle reports that the settlement comes just weeks before a lawsuit filed by the parents of 23-year-old Marquez Smart was set for a jury trial in federal court. His parents allege that police officers used excessive force. A federal appeals court found last year that a reasonable jury could conclude that by the time the final police shots were fired, Smart was on the ground with his arms stretched out.
No criminal charges have been filed against the officers.