NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Latest on the settlement of lawsuits over deadly police shootings following Hurricane Katrina (all times local):
3:25 p.m.
The mother of a teen killed by police in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina says she “wholeheartedly” accepts the mayor’s apology for his death.
Sherrel Johnson is the mother of 17-year-old James Brissette, who died in the Sept. 4, 2005, shootings on the Danziger Bridge.
At a Monday news conference, Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced $13.3 million in settlements of lawsuits over deadly police shootings after Katrina and a fatal beating just before the 2005 storm. Landrieu said the settlements are with 17 plaintiffs.
At the news conference, Johnson thanked Landrieu for issuing the apology. She said, “Now this is closure for me.”
Johnson was one of several members of the victims’ families who attended the news conference.
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3:05 p.m.
New Orleans’ mayor has announced $13.3 million in settlements of lawsuits over deadly police shootings after Hurricane Katrina and a fatal beating just before the 2005 storm.
At a Monday afternoon news conference, Mayor Mitch Landrieu also apologized to the victims’ families and said he hopes their forgiveness will help the city find peace in the future.
Landrieu said the settlements are with 17 plaintiffs.
A spokeswoman for the mayor’s office says the settlements resolve lawsuits over the deaths of three people who were killed in two separate police shootings after the 2005 hurricane and a fourth person who was fatally beaten by an officer shortly before the storm struck.
A total of 20 New Orleans police officers were charged in a series of Justice Department civil rights investigations following Katrina.
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12:30 p.m.
New Orleans’ mayor says he will announce the settlement of civil rights lawsuits over deadly police shootings after Hurricane Katrina.
A news release Monday says Mayor Mitch Landrieu would make the announcement later in the day. A spokeswoman for the mayor’s office says the settlements resolve lawsuits over the deaths of three people who were killed in two separate police shootings after the 2005 hurricane and a fourth person who was fatally beaten by an officer shortly before the storm struck.
A total of 20 New Orleans police officers were charged in a series of Justice Department civil rights investigations following Katrina.
Eleven officers pleaded guilty to charges related to deadly shootings on a bridge less than a week after Katrina struck.
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