A man died while in police custody at the Oklahoma County Jail. Now, his relatives are set to get a big payout.
In 2017, Charlton Chrisman died after he was shot at close range over 12 times with pepper balls by correction officers. His family then sued in federal court, citing that Chrisman’s civil rights had been violated.
Now, county commisioners have granted a $1.1 million settlement.
Chrisman had been apprehended after authorities said that he drove his pickup truck into an emergency room at Deaconess Hospital. Detectives stated that meth was found in his system after he died.
Chrisman’s relatives say that excessive force used by detention officers was a huge factor in his death.
County Commissioner Brian Maughan said that the decision to settle was important. “They ascertain what they think the value of the case is worth and what the risk factors are that we would have to mitigate if we risked going to trial. And in this case, what we decided the safest thing to do to protect the taxpayers was to settle,” Maughan stated.
Ultimately, that $1.1 million will come from Oklahoma County taxpayers. He says that it will equal to about $1 extra a year on property taxes.
A local judge has sealed a camera recording of the last minutes before Chrisman died. He concurred with the county that revealing the video of the inside of the jail would pose a security risk.
