Source: Vadym Plysiuk / Getty
In Donald Trump’s America, stories like this would never happen because he wants to grant police officers complete immunity from wrongdoing. Let him tell it, police officers should be able to kill, beat, arrest, and abuse anyone they want to. Fortunately, it’s not Trump’s America just yet, and families who have been devastated by police violence still have a chance to get some semblance of justice.
According to the Seattle Times, the family of Said Joquin will be paid an $8 million settlement following a 2020 police-involved shooting in which Joquin was killed. On May 1, 2020, Officer Mike Wiley pulled the 26-year-old over for running a stop sign. The lawsuit, filed by Deatura Joquin, Said’s mother, claims that Wiley was overly aggressive and approached the vehicle with his gun already drawn while yelling, “Shut the (expletive) up or you’ll get shot.”
Dash camera audio reveals that Said told the officer that he did have a firearm in the car. Said’s partner and other witnesses testified that Said was complying and had his hands on top of his head seconds before he was shot three times, dragged out of the car, and slammed onto the street. Attorneys representing the family say that another officer on the scene asked where the gun was located inside the vehicle, and Joquin pointed to it when Wiley killed him.
Wiley’s attorneys made a motion to have the lawsuit dismissed, but U.S. District Judge David Estudillo noted Wiley’s “documented history of using force against persons he has assisted in detaining” and allowed the suit to go forward.
That “documented history” includes an incident where Lakewood police snipers fatally shot another man, Leonard Thomas, in the stomach while he was holding his 4-year-old son. Testimony in that trial revealed that Wiley reportedly screamed “Jackpot!” when the sniper bullet struck Thomas and later told investigators that it was a “frickin’ million-dollar shot.”
The Seattle Times reports that evidence showed Thomas bled to death while begging the officers not to take his son. Officer Wiley was one of three officers held liable in a 2017 civil rights trial where a jury delivered a record $15.1 million verdict against them for Thomas’ death.
Thomas’ parents settled the lawsuit for $13 million post verdict in exchange for a promise by the city not to appeal, adds the Times.
This latest settlement brings the total payment for deaths involving Wiley to $21 million.
This POS should never be allowed to wear a badge or uniform ever again.
