US city of Cleveland to pay $8.1 million to family of black boy shot by police

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Cleveland officials have agreed to pay US$6 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old African American boy who was shot dead by a white police officer in 2014.
Samaria Rice (centre), the mother of Tamir Rice, speaks at a news conference at the Olivet Baptist Church in Cleveland, on Dec 8, 2014. PHOTO: REUTERS

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States city of Cleveland has reached a US$6 million (S$8.1 million) settlement with the family of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old African American shot by police while holding a toy gun, a federal court said Monday.

Under the terms of the settlement, Cleveland does not admit any wrongdoing, according to the order issued in the US District Court in Ohio.

Rice's November 2014 death at the hands of a white officer was one of a series of high-profile incidents involving police violence against African-Americans that fueled protests across the country.

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