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WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (AP) -- The city has settled for an undisclosed sum the lawsuit filed by the family of an unarmed man shot to death by a police officer.
Bounmy Ousa, 59, was shot in front of his home by police detective Steven Ward on July 7, 2005.
"Settlement was deemed to be in the best interests of all parties to the litigation because of substantial time and expense required to fully litigate the complicated issues presented," according to a joint press release Monday by the city and the family's attorney, Clark Newhall.
The Salt Lake Tribune is challenging the refusal to disclose the terms of the settlement.
The settlement comes 10 days after Ward resigned from the police department. Assistant Police Chief Craig Black said the resignation was unrelated to Ousa's slaying.
"It has nothing to do with this issue," Black said. "It was his own reason."
Ward had been on paid administrative leave since last fall.
Ousa died outside his home after being shot several times at close range by Ward, who sat in an unmarked police car with his partner, Matt Carman, as they conducted surveillance on a nearby home.
Ousa approached the vehicle and spoke with the officers, who identified themselves as police and asked him to return to his home. Ousa stepped away from the car and removed a "shiny, black, metallic object" from his waistband, according to police. Ward thought it was a gun and fired four times at Ousa.
The object turned out to be a flashlight, according to the investigation. The family disputed that he had a flashlight.
Ousa had alcohol and methamphetamine in his system. Newhall said the methamphetamine came from a legal Asian weed that Ousa took nightly as a supplement.
The family claimed in its lawsuit that Ward had been under the influence of steroids.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
