The family of a man shot and killed by Oklahoma City police four years ago will receive $1.05 million in a settlement approved by the Oklahoma City City Council.
Bennie Joe Edwards, 60, was shot and killed by police on December 11, 2020, after officers arrived at a store in northeast Oklahoma City where Edwards was accused of harassing customers. The encounter ended with officers shooting at Edwards as he ran toward them while holding a knife, then shooting him in the back as he tried to run away.
The City Council approved the settlement during Tuesday’s meeting.
The killing of Edwards, who was homeless and had a history of mental illness, sparked intense controversy and days of protests. It happened just months after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, which sparked backlash and social unrest nationwide.
The shooting also raised questions about whether or not Oklahoma City Police detectives are allowed to investigate fellow officers. Many police departments statewide often turn to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to handle officer-involved shootings, but the Oklahoma City Police Department still investigates its own shootings and submits its internal findings to the local officer of justice to decide whether to prosecute.
In response to calls for police reform in recent years, a revamped Community Public Safety Advisory Board has been created to provide civilian oversight and review complaints and shooting cases, but only after investigations are concluded. Many other recommendations, including revising police use-of-force policies and prioritizing de-escalation, are still on their way to implementation.
“The Oklahoma City Police Department has a habit and practice of using excessive force against minority, unarmed and mentally ill individuals, and what happened to Bennie Edwards was truly shameful,” Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney representing the Edwards family, said in December. 2021. “He was in emotional distress when the officers encountered him, and instead of responding with compassion and care, they treated him with aggression, tasers and bullets.”
More: A black man killed by OKC police had a serious mental illness; the officers did not have a crisis intervention certificate.
In February 2021, former Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater charged one of the officers involved, Sergeant Clifford Holman, with first-degree murder, but not the other, Sgt. Keith Duroy.
However, a detective later recanted his original statement that Holman shot Edwards unnecessarily. Current District Attorney Vicki Behenna decided to dismiss charges against Holman in 2023. Despite that decision, Edwards’ family moved forward with a civil lawsuit against the city.
Kimberle Thompson, Edwards’ daughter, and Edwards’ mother, Juanita Hill, co-trustees of his estate, had sued the city and officers Duroy and Holman in federal court in December 2021. The lawsuit alleged that Duroy and Holman used “inappropriate, unwarranted and unjustified force” against Edwards even when they saw “Edwards retreating.”
More: The OKC police task force advisor makes recommendations for de-escalation and use of force
A memo from the Oklahoma City Council said the settlement between Edwards’ family and the city was reached on October 25. The memo also emphasized that the settlement was reached without any admission of liability.
A city spokesperson could not comment further on the settlement. Neither the legal teams representing Holman and Duroy nor the Edwards family responded to requests for comment Thursday.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC council approves $1.05 million settlement with Bennie Edwards’ family
