Article Author:
Associated Press
Michael Kunzelmann
Relatives of a 19-year-old black man who died while battling police officers on Maryland's east coast seek $5 million partial settlement Their wrongful death lawsuit is an agreement that also calls for improved police training and policies, a family attorney said Monday. Police accused Anton Black of using excessive force after they tracked him down outside his family's home in rural Greensboro, Maryland, in 2018 and attempted to detain him. he held his breath.
The lawsuit also accused police of trying to cover up a wrongful killing and falsely claimed that Black was addicted to drugs and had "superhuman" powers. Did.
Black's death prompted calls for independent inquiry and legislative reform. A state law named after Black expanded public access to records on police disciplinary cases. It came into force in September last year.
The settlement of the lawsuit has resulted in the family's claims against three towns in Maryland (Greensboro, Ridgely, Centerville) and former Greensboro Police Chiefs Thomas Webster IV and former Greensboro Police Chiefs Michael. Pecho, former Ridgely Police Chief Gary Manos, Centerville Police Officer Dennis Lannon and former Greensboro Town Administrator Janet Cleveland.
The settlement would require three towns to update policies governing the use of force by police officers, provide mental health training to police officers, and provide "implicit Annual training on “bias” and de-escalation techniques should be provided.
Black had been diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder. He was hospitalized less than two weeks after his death after his father called the police over concerns that his son was behaving strangely in his home.
The agreement does not resolve the family's claims against former Maryland chief coroner David Fowler and the state's coroner's office. The death was listed as accidental, stating that congenital heart disease, mental illness, and stress from the struggle likely contributed to his death.
A cardiologist at Johns Hopkins University, an expert on the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, concluded that asphyxiation was the cause of Black's death.
"Nothing was a coincidence," family attorney Rene Swafford said at a news conference Monday.
Police body cameras captured portions of Black's encounter with police on 15 September 2018. The video shows Webster confronting Black in response to his 911 call.
A boy who is a family friend of Black's told officers that Black was "schizophrenic" and was behaving strangely. Webster put Black's hand behind his back. ``I love you,'' said Black, turning and jogging in the opposite direction.
was off-duty when he tried to help arrest Black.
After Black returned to his family's home and got into the car, Webster used a baton to break the car window and used a stun gun on Black. Later, while wrestling on his parents' porch, Black is knocked unconscious when Manos, Lannon, and Webster try to restrain him.
"Even after Anton was handcuffed, the police ignored the danger they posed and left Anton for about six minutes as he had trouble breathing, lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest. He was restrained in a prone position," the lawsuit states.
Black's mother stood nearby, shouting Black's name and demanding an answer. Black was later pronounced dead in hospital.
"They had to know he was dying," said Anton Black, Anton's father. "They killed my son for no reason."
In January a federal judge refused to dismiss the case. U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake said body camera video of the fatal incident definitively did not contradict the family's allegations that police used excessive force against Black. It concluded that a reasonable jury "could reach multiple conclusions" as to whether officers used a reasonable degree of force against Black.
County Prosecutor did not ask a grand jury to consider criminal charges in Black's death.
The three town attorneys and the other municipal defendants did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment on the settlement.
Anton Black's Family and Coalition for Justice filed a lawsuit in December 2020. The lawsuit states that Black died in a "chillingly similar manner" to George Floyd, a black man murdered by Minneapolis police in May 2020. The cop has led to global protests against racial injustice and police abuse.
