City of Charlotte, North Carolina Pays Family $950K in Pedestrian’s Death
A North Carolina city has paid the family of a man who was hit and killed by a speeding police car in 2017.
The Charlotte Observer reports the city of Charlotte paid $950,000 in December to the family of James Michael Short, who was trying to cross a street on July 8, 2017, when a police vehicle being driven by officer Phillip Barker struck and killed him.
At the time, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said Barker was traveling at speeds that reached around 100 mph (160 kph). Police say Barker was responding to an emergency and had his lights and siren on.
Barker was charged with involuntary manslaughter and is awaiting trial. His attorney, Michael Greene, says Barker is on unpaid administrative leave from the police force.
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