LOS ANGELES, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A town in the U.S. western state of Colorado is going to pay 1.3 million U.S. dollars to the family of a 27-year-old man who was killed by a police officer in 2014.
The money will be paid to Jack Jacquez's three minor children and his mother by the town of Rocky Ford. The lawsuit sought compensation for excessive force and violations of constitutional rights, filed by Jacquez's family against the police officer, the town and the former chief, the Denver Post reported on Thursday.
Jacquez was fatally shot in the back by a then on-duty officer, James Ashby, on Oct. 12, 2014. Ashby who is serving in prison was found guilty of murdering Jacquez and sentenced to 16 years in prison on Oct. 27, 2016.
"The Jacquez family hopes that the criminal conviction of Officer James Ashby and the subsequent civil settlement will send a message that the police are not above the law ... The Jacquez family believes that the tragic killing of Jack J. Jacquez has resulted in badly-needed reform in the Rocky Ford Police Department," Qusair Mohamedbhai, the lawyer of the victim's family, was quoted as saying by the Denver Post.
Ashby argued that he thought Jacquez was a burglar, while investigators said the police officer had no reason to believe Jacquez was committing a crime.
Ashby was the first Colorado policeman to face a murder charge for an on-duty death in at least two decades, according to the Denver Post.
