The family of Antwon Rose, an unarmed black teenager who was killed last year by a white police officer during a traffic stop, has reached a $2 million settlement in the federal civil right lawsuit.
The family brought the suit against East Pittsburgh and the white police officer who shot Antwon dead.
The officer, Michael Rosfeld, has been acquitted of all counts in connection with the shooting of the 17-year-old black teen. Rosfeld shot Antwon three times in his back, face, and elbow.
Antwon’s family attorney S. Lee Merritt confirmed the settlement Tuesday, noting that the family “wasn’t particularly happy’’ with it even though it was the “most the city could do.”
“The goal for the lawsuit was to come up with a figure that would cause police officers in the East Pittsburgh area to think before they pull the trigger and force the city to consider better training,” The New York Times quoted Merritt as saying.
The law firms representing the family, Rabner Law Offices and McEldrew Young, will receive $400,000 each as well as reimbursement costs, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, citing Allegheny County court records.
“It has been a great honor working towards achieving justice for the family and supporters of Antwon Rose II,” Fred Rabner, another lawyer for the Rose family, was quoted by the New York Times.
A United States District Court judge signed a stipulation on Tuesday dismissing the lawsuit with prejudice, which means the claims cannot be filed again. The order was signed by all parties.
In August 2018, Michelle Kenney and Antwon Rose, Sr. — Antwon’s parents — filed the federal civil rights lawsuit against East Pittsburgh and Rosfeld, accusing Rosfeld of using excessive and deadly force and the borough’s policymakers of improperly training police officers and failing to protect their son.
Kenney said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that the settlement was not what she wanted. “Facts: NOT WHAT I WANTED, NOT MY DECISION AND THIS HURTS SO BAD!!!” she wrote in a Facebook post.
