Ezell Ford’s family will receive $1.5 million settlement for police killing

The Los Angeles City Council agreed to pay a $1.5 million lawsuit settlement filed by Ezell Ford’s family, whose 2014 killing by LAPD sparked a national outcry against police killings and brutality.

Ezell Ford’s Family wins settlement for police shooting

The 10-2 vote approving the settlement comes two weeks after L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey announced she would not criminally charge the two officers who shot Ford.

Ezell Ford, who was mentally challenged, was killed during a confrontation with police after being stopped in a South Los Angeles neighborhood.

Originally, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck ruled that the shooting was within departmental policy, and the officers did not do anything wrong because Ford was allegedly reaching for an officer’s gun.

A police oversight board later concluded that the officers did violate department policy, because they had no just cause to stop Ford in the first place.

The commission’s findings stated that Officer Sharlton Wampler was unjustified in shooting Ford and that Officer Antonio Villegas was wrong to draw his weapon but acted appropriately in firing it because he believed Wampler’s life was in danger.