The family of Easter Leafa, the 16-year-old who died in an officer-involved shooting in August last year, and the Municipality of Anchorage have reached a $2.11 million settlement.
Alaska News Source reports that a release from Mayor Suzanne LaFrance’s office, says the multi-million dollar settlement was a strategic call to “minimize risks and costs in light of the specific circumstances of each case.”
The settlement was reached by the Leafa family and APD Chief Sean Case on April 30, according to the release.
In a review of the officer-involved shooting, state prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges on the involved officers following an investigation. However, the door remained open for civil claims, which were pursued by the Leafa family and their attorney.
“We want to protect everyone involved from having to relive this incident in court,” LaFrance said in the release.
“I have met with the Leafa family, and the grace with which they’ve responded to their loss is profound. I am grateful for their desire to prioritize healing—for themselves and the whole community.”
The shooting resulted in community members and organizations to remember the teen girl and demand answers in protest of recent police shootings in Anchorage.
In a statement provided to Alaska’s News Source via the family’s lawyer, the Leafa family stated that it was “grateful” to have worked to come to a settlement with the city “with grace.”
“This event started when a family member called for help, never anticipating the circumstances would lead to Easter Sally’s death,” the family wrote.
The family—from American Samoa—said that cultural differences and a language barrier likely played a role in her death.
“Where we are from, the police would have taken a very different, slower and deescalating approach,” they wrote. “They would have asked questions, they would have created barriers for safety and taken the time to learn about the circumstances—such as Easter’s name, age— and generally treated us, as the family, very differently.
“Mayor LaFrance and Chief Case heard us and committed to trying to make our community safer by looking deeply at not only this tragic event, but also by examining, in general, police policies on training and implementation of best practices in the community.”
