Milwaukee officials approved a $2.3 million settlement Wednesday for the child of a mentally ill black man who was fatally shot in a 2014 confrontation with a white police officer.
The Milwaukee Common Council gave its unanimous approval to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of Dontre Hamilton, who had been sleeping in a downtown Milwaukee park when Officer Christopher Manney approached him. One alderman abstained, saying he didn’t believe Manney did anything wrong. Mayor Tom Barrett is expected to sign off on the settlement within the next 10 days, spokeswoman Jodie Tabak said. Manney said Hamilton attacked him as he frisked him for weapons and that he shot the 31-year-old 14 times in self-defense. Manney said Hamilton had taken away his police baton, prompting him to open fire. Police Chief Edward Flynn said at the time that the pat-down wasn’t necessary, and he fired Manney for failing to follow department rules.
