The family of Samuel DuBose, the 43-year-old man fatally shot by a University of Cincinnati police officer in 2015, has settled with the school for $4.85 million plus free undergraduate tuition for his 12 children, in a deal announced Monday.
Authorities charged UC officer Ray Tensing with murder in the July 19 shooting of DuBose. Tensing shot DuBose after stopping him for a missing front license plate.
The agreement also provides for a memorial commemorating DuBose and an apology from the university, The Associated Press reported.
Tensing’s attorney has contended that the officer — who pleaded not guilty — feared he would be dragged under the car DuBose was driving when DuBose tried to drive away from the traffic stop.
Tensing’s body camera showed the officer fire a single shot into DuBose’s head at point-blank range after DuBose refused to get out of the car and turned the key to restart it.
Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Deters said the body cam video refuted Tensing’s claim. Deters called it “murder” and said Tensing appeared to be falling backward in the video due to the force of shooting DuBose.
Two UC officers backed Tensing’s claim that he was being dragged in the UC police internal report, but Deters said they retracted their statements when they testified under oath to Cincinnati Police investigators and the grand jury.
The fatal shooting sparked protests in the community but DuBose's family asked there be no violence because DuBose would have objected. There were no riots.
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