AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Travis County officials have approved a $500,000 payment to a state district judge to avoid a potential lawsuit claiming authorities didn’t do enough to prevent a shooting that left her seriously wounded.
County commissioners approved the payment Tuesday to Judge Julie Kocurek, who was targeted by a gunman outside her Austin home in November 2015.
County leaders previously indicated they were deliberating the payment.
Kocurek has said publicly that she doesn’t believe authorities appropriately handled a tip from an informant about a judge being targeted.
Federal officials in September charged three men in the shooting. One of the men, Chimene Onyeri, had a hearing scheduled in Kocurek’s court where it was anticipated his probation would be revoked and he faced imprisonment.
Onyeri has denied any involvement in the shooting.
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