City of Oakland settles with victims of police shooting
On June 18, 2008, Bay Area civil rights attorney and NPAP member John Burris reached a $975,000 settlement with the city of Oakland in the case of two residents who were shot by police officers.
William Caldwell and Leona Savoy were both injured in March 2006 when officers involved in an undercover drug operation fired 26 rounds at a suspect. Both Caldwell and Savoy were hit by bullets while cleaning their cars at a carwash that was full of customers at the time of the shooting.
The lawsuit argued that the officers did not give “adequate consideration to the obvious danger their rash decision to fire such an amount of bullets in such a short span of time and in the direction of the car wash posed to the numerous bystanders …” City officials argued that the officer “reacted reasonably” to the deadly threat the suspect presented to the officers and the public but decided to settle the case to avoid an adverse jury verdict.
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