Sangamon County has reached an agreement for a settlement with the family of Sonya Massey.
A memo shows county officials have negotiated with the family’s lawyers and both sides reached a deal for the county to pay $10 million.
Massey, a Black woman, was killed in her home last summer by a sheriff’s deputy after calling 9-1-1 for assistance. Police body camera footage shows Massey was removing a pot of boiling water from her stove when she was shot.
The case gained worldwide attention, resulted in the resignation of former sheriff Jack Campbell and led to the creation of a special commission to deal with policing and systemic racism.
Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter says the county is focused on improvment of policing.
The U.S. Justice Department last month reached an agreement with local authorities to resolve an investigation of the Sheriff's Office and Central Dispatch. It included enhanced training and monitoring. But the future of that agreement is unclear the Trump Administration.
"No price paid can take back the actions of a rogue former deputy, but this agreement is an effort to provide some measure of recompense to the Massey family for their unimaginable loss. The county remains committed to working with the community to strengthen policies to try to ensure tragedies like this never happen again," Van Meter said.
The Sangamon County Board must still approve the settlement. That is expected at the next meeting Tuesday.
A CBS News report this week raised more questions about the department's history, pointing out dozens of complaints have been filed over the past 20 years.
