CHICAGO — A judge approved an $18 million settlement Tuesday in a lawsuit brought by the family of a woman shot to death by police.
The settlement still requires City Council approval. City attorneys and lawyers for the family of LaTanya Haggerty announced the agreement Monday, and Judge Timothy C. Evans accepted it during a five-minute hearing.
“We cannot let the memory of LaTanya Haggerty soon fade in this city,” said attorney Johnnie Cochran, whose firm represents Haggerty’s family.
Haggerty, a 26-year-old computer analyst, was a passenger in a car that was chased by police on June 4, 1999. She was shot and killed by officer Serena Daniels, who has said she mistook a shiny padlock in Haggerty’s hand for a weapon. Other witnesses said Haggerty was holding a cell phone.
In March 2000, the city’s Police Board fired Daniels and officers Michael Williams and Stafford Wilson, both of whom shot at the car. A fourth officer, Carl Carter, was suspended. He was not fired because he did not fire his gun during the chase or traffic stop, according to Police Board president Demetrius Carney.
Mayor Richard Daley has agreed to meet with Haggerty’s parents, Barbara and Maurice, as part of the settlement.
