SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane City Council approved a $3.7 million settlement with the estate of Robert Bradley, who was killed in a 2022 police shooting. The decision passed with a 4-2 vote, with council members Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart opposing.
Jim Leighty, executive director of Citizen 926 and member of the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability, voiced concerns about the settlement.
“We have multiple officers on the police department who have been in multiple officer involved shootings with a lot of fatalities, and they keep them on the police department. I don’t want them showing up to my house,” he said.
Bradley was shot by Spokane police after officers reported seeing him reach for a rifle. The incident was captured on bodycam and surveillance video. The prosecutor’s office cleared the officers of any wrongdoing, but Bradley’s family filed a lawsuit against the city, arguing his death was unnecessary.
The $3.7 million settlement will be paid to Bradley’s estate, with Spokane contributing just over $222,000 and the remainder covered by its insurer.
Spokane Police did not comment on the settlement by the deadline. A-M-R Peace, a human rights commissioner and police accountability expert, criticized the city’s approach.
“Right now, the city is not willing to do anything different. The city is letting these officers kill, and only taking these officers off the street for two weeks after they kill, and then they’re right back on the street,” Peace stated.
Leighty also highlighted the financial burden on taxpayers
“It does cost the taxpayers a lot of money… just for the city to hire attorneys to fight lawsuits,” he said.
City records indicate Spokane has spent hundreds of thousands on legal fees defending police shooting cases. Many in Spokane question whether such settlements are a sustainable solution.
Critics argue systemic change is necessary to prevent future incidents and reduce taxpayer costs.
