Judge orders city pay $6M officer-involved shooting

Christopher Torres

From KOAT-TV.com - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —A district court judge has ordered the city of Albuquerque to pay more than $6 million for the wrongful death of Christopher Torres.Tort claims would cap the case at $400,000, so the city would not have to pay the full amount of the ruling. However, the family could receive more than the $6 million because of a pending federal court case.
     Torres was shot and killed by Albuquerque police in 2011. He was the son of a county official, and his death was a focal point in the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into Albuquerque police.
     Officers claimed that when they went to the home to serve a warrant, Torres, who suffered from schizophrenia, became agitated. Officers said Torres grabbed one of their guns and pointed it at them, forcing an officer to shoot and kill him.
     His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit, and has been waiting three years to hear a ruling. The trial started in May, and that ruling was handed down Tuesday. The family was seeking $4 million in damages.
     The ruling also said the city did not breach any duties in hiring, training or supervising the officers involved in the shooting. Family members said this disappointed them. The district attorney found no basis for criminal charges against the Albuquerque police officers.
     The family still has a civil case against the city, claiming the officers used excessive force. That is set to be heard in federal court this September. The family said it doesn't know if the civil case will settle between now and then, and that it depends whether the city changes its policies regarding officers' use of deadly force. More

Judge orders city pay $6M officer-involved shooting