Botched Drug Raid Death Leads to $2.5 Million Settlement
Looks like this is as close as we'll ever get to seeing justice for the family of Tarika Wilson:
And it led to a lot of accusations from drug policy reformers that police shoot way too many innocent people in overly-aggressive drug raids. You may recall that this was the case in which the officer claimed that he opened fire on Tarika because he was startled by gunshots downstairs. Those shots were fired by his own fellow officers as they killed the family's dogs. Tarika Wilson literally lost her life because a cop was freaked out by gunfire from another cop. Oh, and her baby daughter also got shot.
Radley Balko has much more.
LIMA, Ohio — The insurance carrier for the City of Lima has agreed to pay $2.5 million to the family of a woman who was shot and killed by a city police sergeant in January, 2008.
…
Wilson, 26, a biracial woman, was shot to death by Sgt. Joseph Chavalia, who is white, during a drug raid at her south side home. Wilson's 1-year-old son, Sincere, was injured in the gunfire.
The incident led to allegations by some in the African-American community in Lima who charged that the city's mostly white police department targeted blacks. [Toledo Blade]
And it led to a lot of accusations from drug policy reformers that police shoot way too many innocent people in overly-aggressive drug raids. You may recall that this was the case in which the officer claimed that he opened fire on Tarika because he was startled by gunshots downstairs. Those shots were fired by his own fellow officers as they killed the family's dogs. Tarika Wilson literally lost her life because a cop was freaked out by gunfire from another cop. Oh, and her baby daughter also got shot.
Radley Balko has much more.
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