Stunning $67M Verdict in Austin PD Shooting Case
A Travis County jury last week awarded the family of Landon Nobles $67 million in damages in a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court against Austin police, who shot the 24-year-old Black man after an altercation on East Sixth Street in May 2017.
The stunning sum far surpasses any amount awarded to families of people killed by the Austin Police Department in the past decade; those payouts cumulatively total just over $8 million. Prior to the Nobles verdict, the largest sum awarded in a police excessive force case was a $3.25 million settlement in 2017 with Ketty Sully, the mother of 17-year-old David Joseph, shot and killed by an Austin police officer in February 2016.
City officials can appeal the size of the jury award, either with the trial judge or in future proceedings. "The city acknowledges the jury verdict and will explore all options as we move forward," a spokesperson said. "The city and the officers are genuinely surprised by the verdict, both the question of liability and certainly on the dollar amount awarded."
In May 2017, during the Pecan Street Festival, Nobles was believed to have fired a gun outside of the Jackalope on East Sixth Street after an argument with others. Bystander phone video captured the confrontation, but Nobles is not shown firing a gun; witnesses at the trial testified he was not armed. Nobles began running after Austin police Lt. Richard Egal knocked him down with his bike. Egal and Cpl. Max Johnson viewed this movement as a threat and fired five shots, three of which struck and killed Nobles. Neither officer faced criminal charges and both are still on the force.
Read more: https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2021-12-24/stunning-67m-verdict-in-apd-shooting-case/
