EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut town has approved spending $2.25 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a man who died in police custody in 2014.
The Hartford Courant reports that the East Hartford Town Council approved settling the suit on Tuesday night.
The federal suit alleged town police officers used excessive force when they beat an intoxicated Jose Maldonado and shocked him with a stun gun for 20 seconds before leaving him to die on a jail cell floor in 2014 days before his 23rd birthday.
Council Chairman Rich Kehoe says the money will be paid by the town’s insurer, the Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency.
The lawsuit says Maldonado’s constitutional rights were violated.
An investigation found that the officer’s use of force was reasonable given Maldonado’s “combative” state.
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Information from: Hartford Courant, http://www.courant.com
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