New York Settles for $4 Million in Shooting of Unarmed Black Teenager

That officer, Richard Haste, said he shot Graham because he thought he had a gun and was about to use it. Haste and a partner saw Graham on the street and they told investigators that they thought Graham was carrying a gun because of the way he moved his hands near his waist.

They decided he was armed drug dealer. 

The officers followed Graham into his apartment building in the Bronx, and kicked down his door. Haste shot Graham once in the chest inside the apartment. No weapons were ever found. A grand jury indicted Haste in 2013, but a judge threw that out, saying the grand jury had been given improper instructions on how to proceed with the case. A second grand jury declined to indict him.  

“This was a tragic case,” said city spokesman Nicholas Paolucci. “After evaluating all the facts, and consulting with key stakeholders such as the NYPD, it was determined that settling the matter was in the best interest of the city.” 

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are conducting a separate civil rights investigation. 

Under the settlement, the Graham family agrees to drop a federal lawsuit. Graham’s estate will receive $2.9 million, his brother $500,000, his grandmother will get $450,000, and his mother will receive $40,000. The Graham family attorney said they would comment on Monday morning. 

The Graham shooting is one of several high-profile cases nationwide involving fatal encounters between police and unarmed black men that have sparked riots, protests, marches and rallies, and an ad hoc movement called Black Lives Matter that seeks to address the way law enforcement conducts itself in minority communities.