Denver to pay nearly $1M to family of teen killed by police
Denver officials announced Wednesday that they reached a settlement to pay nearly $1 million to the family of a teenager who was shot and killed by police while driving a stolen car toward an officer in 2015.
Besides the $999,999 payout to the parents of 17-year-old Jessica Hernandez, the city also pledged to invite the family to appoint a representative to a committee advising police on use-of-force policy and do outreach meetings with the Latino and LGBTQ communities. The City Council still must approve the deal over the death of Hernandez, who was gay.
The Jan. 26, 2015, shooting came shortly after the officer-involved deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York. It led to protests, including one in which demonstrators poured paint on a memorial to slain officers.
Hernandez was sleeping in a Honda Civic in a residential alley with four other friends after a night out when police were called to check on the suspicious car. They discovered it was stolen.