San Diego officials approve $30M settlement for family of teen killed by police

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego City Council on Tuesday approved a $30 million payment to the family of a 16-year-old youth killed by police in one of the largest such settlements in the U.S.

The settlement exceeds the $27 million the city of Minneapolis agreed to pay the family of George Floyd, whose May 2020 murder by a police officer who knelt on his neck sparked a nationwide racial reckoning.

Surveillance and body-worn camera footage from Jan. 28 showed Konoa Wilson running away from someone who pulled a gun and fired at him in a downtown train station. As he exited the station, Wilson encountered San Diego Police Officer Daniel Gold.

In the lawsuit against the city and Gold, the family alleged the officer “instantly, without any warning,” fired two shots at Wilson as he ran by, striking him in the upper body. The lawsuit identified Wilson as Black.

Council member Henry Foster became emotional when speaking about the settlement, sharing his fears about his own son and the dangers that some Black youth face.

“Kanoa’s life was taken while fleeing from gunshots, and he found himself running into the arms of a police officer. This should not have happened,” Foster said, asking that since Floyd’s killing “where’s the progress? Where’s the protect and serve? Better yet, where’s the accountability?”

Lt. Cesar Jimenez, a spokesperson for the San Diego Police Department, said Gold is currently on an administrative assignment while the shooting is under investigation.