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SALT LAKE CITY — The family of a 13-year-old boy with autism who was shot 11 times by police in 2020 has reached a $3 million settlement with the city and the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Linden Cameron was shot by police on Sept. 4, 2020, after officers responded to a report of a juvenile who was having a "violent psychological issue," according to police. Linden survived, but his parents sued the police department in November 2020, alleging that officers failed to use less lethal force and that responding officers failed to seek guidance from superiors, made the situation worse by using aggressive language, and purposefully turned off their body cameras during and after the shooting.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Linden Cameron's family said they maintain that the police "acted recklessly," but they sought the settlement out of a "desire to provide for Linden's long-term care, to minimize the family's emotional trauma associated with the shooting, and to resolve the case outside of formal litigation." The statement says that the payment received by the family is the largest settlement paid by Salt Lake City in a shooting case of this type.
They also urged Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill to announce whether he will seek criminal charges against the officer who shot Linden.
Salt Lake City spokesman Andrew Wittenberg confirmed the settlement.
"While the settlement is not an admission of liability, the parties agree that (Linden's) shooting was a tragedy," Wittenberg said in a statement. "The settlement represents combined efforts to reach a compromise that resolves this case outside of formal litigation and provides (Linden) with resources for long-term, lifetime care."
The shooting prompted debate over policing practices and how police officers can better provide for those undergoing mental health crises. Since the shooting, Salt Lake's police department has announced plans to provide sensory-inclusive training for all first responders. In the statement, the family asked Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Police Chief Mike Brown to continue to "otherwise improve their practices," and called on other departments to make sensory-inclusive training mandatory.
"Salt Lake City continues its commitment to training its first responders for sensory inclusive needs, and actively seeks out opportunities to provide its first responders with learning tools that help them to best engage with members of the public who rely on them," Wittenberg said.
"The family believes that the events around this case and the settlement announced today are crucial steps toward increasing awareness of those with mental health challenges — our friends, family members and neighbors who need our love and support," the statement says. "It is also an important step toward training first responders to meet these needs with the empathy, compassion and necessary skills that the public expects from its first responders. More importantly, it is an important recognition of the tragedy Linden and his family have endured."
