Family of teen killed by South Carolina police settle lawsuit
By Harriet McLeod
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) – A wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of an unarmed white teen who was shot to death last summer by a police officer in South Carolina has been settled for $2.15 million, attorneys for both sides said on Tuesday.
Zachary Hammond, 19, died last July when he was shot by Lieutenant Mark Tiller through the open window of the car he was driving in a Hardee’s parking lot in the town of Seneca, about 120 miles northwest of the state capital, Columbia.
“Rather than endure a lengthy litigation process, both parties agree that an early resolution will allow a platform for healing for the Hammond family and the City of Seneca that is outside the spotlight of litigation,” lawyers for all parties said in a statement.
No state criminal charges were filed against Tiller in the shooting.
Hammond’s killing came during a wave of protests across the country in response to several high-profile police killings of unarmed black men, sparking the Black Lives Matter movement.
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