Mississippi city settles lawsuit filed by family of man who died after police pulled him from car

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s capital city has settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by survivors of a man who died after police officers pulled him from a car while searching for a murder suspect.

The Jackson City Council on Tuesday approved payment of $17,786 to settle the lawsuit that relatives of George Robinson filed in state court in October 2019, WLBT-TV reported.

City documents say the settlement is not an admission of liability by the city or the three officers named in the lawsuit. Robinson was Black, as are the three officers.

The payment to the relatives — including Robinson’s sister, Bettersten Wade — was approved on a unanimous vote. But Councilman Kenneth Stokes said he thought the settlement was too small.

“I’m saying it just sends the wrong message about human life, especially Black people’s lives,” Stokes said. “I think a step in the right direction would’ve been to pay the family a little bit more.”