The city of Chicago is poised to pay more than $11 million in settlements to people who alleged police misconduct under a bundle of actions approved by a City Council committee.
The proposed settlements will come before the full council Wednesday.
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One of the three settlements approved Monday by the Finance Committee was $4.25 million to the family of Maurice Granton Jr., a 24-year-old man fatally shot by Chicago police in 2018 after a foot chase in the Bronzeville neighborhood.
Officer Sheldon Thrasher chased Granton after observing what he and other officers thought were drug sales taking place underneath the CTA Green Line tracks, Law Department counsel Caroline Fronczak said during Tuesday’s committee hearing. As he closed in on Granton, the officer allegedly heard one gunshot, the sound of which was captured on a nearby sergeant’s body camera, but Thrasher did not see who had fired a weapon.
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After losing sight of Granton for a moment, Thrasher saw him less than 10 feet away, scaling a wrought-iron fence. The officer fired three shots, one of which struck Granton in the back and killed him, Fronczak said.
Thrasher didn’t activate his body camera until afterward because it was “buffering,” she said. But the shooting did get captured by a different bodycam, without audio, and it showed Granton’s hands were empty when he was climbing the fence, Fronczak said.
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As people nearby began approaching and yelling, Thrasher was recorded saying, “You see your homie right there? You see your homie shot? Get back. Get back.” A handgun was recovered from the middle of the lot about 10 to 15 feet from Granton’s body, Fronczak said.
The city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability has recommended Thrasher be fired, and police Superintendent David Brown agreed, Fronczak said. Thrasher’s disciplinary charges included violating rules on the use of deadly force, not activating his body camera in time and arguing with bystanders after the shooting.
Fronczak closed her remarks by noting that “given the video evidence, the chances of verdict in favor of plaintiff are substantially increased” when advocating for the settlement amount.
Ald. Marty Quinn, Ald. Silvana Tabares, Ald. Gilbert Villegas, Ald. Nicholas Sposato and Ald. Anthony Napolitano voted against that settlement.
The committee also approved a $6.75 million settlement for Norman McIntosh, who spent about 15 years in prison for a 2001 murder before his conviction was vacated. Jessica Felker, another Law Department representative, said Chicago police officers used the testimonies of three witnesses who recanted and said they falsely identified McIntosh.
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Moreover, his car, which had been thought to have been used in carrying out the crime, was impounded at the time of the shooting.
Felker said the plaintiff was likely to ask for $15 million to $30 million in damages, so a $6.75 million settlement was “reasonable.” The City Council committee members unanimously agreed.
Lastly, aldermen approved a $195,000 settlement to Leroy Kennedy, who alleged excessive force by Chicago police during an arrest made on charges that were later dropped. Ald. Ariel Reboyras and Ald. Quinn voted against that settlement.
