MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Milwaukee officials have approved a $2.3 million settlement with the family of a mentally ill black man who was fatally shot in a 2014 confrontation with a white police officer.
The deal for the family of Dontre Hamilton still needs a signature from Mayor Tom Barrett. The Milwaukee Common Council gave its unanimous approval Wednesday. Alderman Bob Donovan abstained from the vote.
Before approving, aldermen debated the settlement.
Southside Alderman Bob Donovan told his fellow aldermen “The attorneys who are walking away in this settlement with $1.1 million, well I’ll let the citizens of Milwaukee decide how appropriate that is, walking away with almost half of the entire settlement. But beyond that just a lot of losers, certainly Mr. Hamilton, in losing his life, his family has suffered immensely. Soon the taxpayers will be joining the list of losers."
"This is not a victory this is not the justice that my family and I wanted," Maria Hamilton, mother of Dontre Hamilton pic.twitter.com/p5WHvwXH6o
— Julia Fello TMJ4 (@JuliaFello) May 31, 2017
Alderwoman Milele Coggs votef in favor of the settlement, saying “the idea that there is any dollar amount that is sufficient to replace the life of someone’s son, someone’s father, and someone’s brother is unfortunate that we, the city attorney, and anyone has to even debate.”
Visibly emotional, Nate Hamilton says pauses before he speaks takes hug from brother pic.twitter.com/j3KGZs1CjH
— Julia Fello TMJ4 (@JuliaFello) May 31, 2017
After the settlement was approved members of the Hamilton legal team and his family reacted. Dontre Hamilton’s mother Maria says”This is not a victory; this is not the justice that me and my family wanted. The City of Milwaukee, has ended this settlement and everyone wants to congratulate me and my family, everyone is so happy we have this victory and it’s not a happy moment right not for us.”
Officer Christopher Manney was responding to a complaint of a man sleeping in a downtown Milwaukee park when he encountered Hamilton. Manney says Hamilton attacked him as he frisked him for weapons. The officer says he shot Hamilton in self-defense. Hamilton was shot 14 times.
Manney was fired for violating department rules when he encountered Hamilton, not for the fatal shooting.
Hamilton's family later sued the city over Dontre's death.
