LIMA, Ohio — The insurance carrier for the City of Lima, Ohio, has agreed to pay $2.5 million to the family of a woman who was shot and killed by a Lima Police Department sergeant in January, 2008.
City Law Director Tony Geiger said Thursday afternoon that the company and the family of Tarika Wilson agreed to settle the lawsuit that is pending in U.S. District Court in Toledo.
Wilson, 26, a biracial woman, was shot to death by Sgt. Joseph Chavalia, who is white, during a drug raid at her south side home. Wilson’s 1-year-old son, Sincere, was injured in the gunfire.
The incident led to allegations by some in the African-American community in Lima who charged that the city’s mostly white police department targeted blacks.
According to Mr. Geiger, the settlement has not yet been approved in District Court.
He said that the city’s insurance company has the legal authority to settle the case without the city’s consent. Mr. Geiger added that the settlement does not include admission of liability from the city or Sergeant Chavalia.
Filed under: Civil Liberties, Drugs, Prison Industrial Complex Tagged: | Joseph Chavalia, Lima, Lima Police Department, Ohio, Prohibition, Tarika Wilson, Tony Geiger, War on Drugs
