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(CNN)–The widow of Julian E. Lewis, a Black man who was fatally shot by a Georgia state trooper in August 2020, will receive a $4.8 million settlement from the state, attorneys representing the family said.
“While the record-making settlement does not bring back her husband for widow Betty Lewis and other family and loved ones, it sends a powerful message to the State and those in law enforcement and other positions of power that unnecessary use of force against innocent citizens is unlawful, morally corrupt and carries legal consequences,” a statement released by Hall and Lampros, Attorneys at Law said.
Lewis, 60, was shot in the face and killed when trooper Jacob Gordon Thompson, 27, attempted to stop him for a traffic-related offense in Screven County near Savannah.
When Lewis refused to stop, Thompson gave a brief chase before using a “precision Intervention technique,” sending the car to a stop in a ditch, according to a statement released by Georgia Bureau of Investigation at the time the incident occurred.
Thompson then fired one shot, striking Lewis in the face. Lewis was pronounced dead on the scene. Read more.
