The family of Andrew Smyrna, an African American father from Atlanta, Georgia, killed by a state trooper, will receive a $5.5 million settlement. The case stemmed from a 2020 shooting where the officer fired nine times into Smyrna’s car.
On January 23, 2020, authorities said he was driving an allegedly stolen car when a trooper spotted him on Leslie Street SE and tried to make a stop.
When the officer approached, Smyrna tried to drive away and hit the trooper’s patrol car. In response, the trooper fired nine shots at Smyrna’s car. Smyrna was struck and crashed near Leslie Street SE and Wylie Street SE.
According to Atlanta News First, the trooper later said he feared for his life. However, Smyrna’s family argued he was unarmed, driving away, and posed no threat to the officer or the public since he was attempting to leave, not attack.
Smyrna’s family filed a federal lawsuit in 2021, accusing the state of excessive force and wrongful death. Their attorneys from Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys announced that the case has now been settled for $5.5 million.
Despite the shooting, no criminal charges were ever filed against the trooper involved. The settlement, however, brings some closure to Smyrna’s relatives, who continue to mourn his loss.
SOURCE: blacknews.com