Franklin County Settles $6.5M Lawsuit in Teen's Death

Franklin County Settles $6.5M Lawsuit in Teen's Death

Introduction

Franklin County has approved a $6.5 million settlement to resolve a federal wrongful death lawsuit arising from the fatal 2018 shooting of a 16-year-old boy by a sheriff's deputy during an altercation.

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners has voted in favor of this settlement amount, marking the largest in the county's history.

According to reports, in January 2018, a Franklin County Sheriff's Deputy was escorting the teenager and his mother out of a courtroom when an altercation occurred. A scuffle ensued as the boy resisted the deputy, who had threatened to arrest him at the conclusion of a hearing. The teenager was also upset about a judge's order to continue wearing an electronic monitoring device. The incident resulted in the boy being shot once in the abdomen outside a juvenile courtroom in Columbus. He passed away minutes later at the hospital.

A grand jury investigation did not lead to any charges against the sheriff. Attorneys representing the boy's family argue that the sheriff "unnecessarily escalated the encounter using excessive force," which ultimately caused the boy's death.

The lawsuit contends that while the Franklin County Coroner classified the minor's death as a homicide, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office chose to internally investigate its own deputy rather than having an independent investigator handle the case. The complaint also alleges that the sheriff's department does not adequately train deputies to handle interactions with unarmed minors.

A spokesperson from the Franklin County Board of Commissioners explained that the settlement was agreed upon to offer closure to residents and safeguard tax dollars from the uncertainties of a civil trial.