A police officer will be compensated in order to settle a wrongful-termination lawsuit, after he alleged he was fired for not shooting a suspect.
Stephen Mader, 27, will receive $175,000 after the city of Weirton, West Virginia fired him for “freezing on the scene” along with other infractions, Metro News reported.
Mader responded to a domestic violence call in May 2016 where he encountered a “visibly distraught” suspect RJ Williams.
Williams had a gun and Mader asked him to drop it. Williams refused and told Mader to shoot him, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Mader instead softened his voice and looked Williams in the eye.
“I’m not going to shoot you, brother. I’m not going to shoot you,” he said as he tried using his military training. While negotiations were going on, two other officers arrived at the scene.
Williams raised his gun and one of the officers who had just arrived fatally shot him. That officer was eventually cleared of wrongdoing.
Williams’ gun turned out to be unloaded.
Source: hrmonline.ca
