MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The city of Southaven said Tuesday it reached an agreement with the family of Troy Goode, who died in police custody six years ago, to avoid trial.
“While the city remains extremely confident in our legal position and fully and unequivocally supports our first responders, we have decided not to expose the city’s finances and our police, fire brigade and EMT personal finances to the unpredictability of a jury in today’s climate”, Mayor May said that Darren Musselwhite said in a press release.
The details of the settlement have not been made public.
Goode died after being arrested by police in July 2015 after witnesses said he was handcuffed by Southaven Police and taken to the hospital face down on a stretcher.
Preliminary autopsy report suggests Goode died of heart problems
The 30-year-old father and engineer went to a concert at the Snowden Grove Amphitheater with his wife and took LSD. According to lawyers, his wife was driving her home when Goode got out of the car and started walking around.
DeSoto County’s district attorney John Champion said at the time that officers acted responsibly. Champion said that Goode was behaving erratically and that he was not tied to the pig. His office said a preliminary autopsy report showed Goode died of a heart problem, possibly LSD.
A full explanation by Musselwhite is below:
The City of Southaven, working with our insurance carrier and Kelli Goode along with their underage child, reached an agreement to avoid litigation.
While the city remains extremely confident in our legal position and fully and unequivocally supports our first responders, we have decided not to subject the city’s finances and the personal finances of our police, fire brigade and ambulance services to the unpredictability of a jury in today’s climate. I would like to emphasize and say again clearly that this decision is in no way an admission of guilt, as our team has done everything to save Troy Goode’s life in an incredibly difficult situation. We are also in no way responsible for the actions of any other party involved. On the night of this incident, our first responders faced many challenges, while timely decisions were critical. You have served bravely and I will not let you question you
everyone, including a jury, as they do their job for the safety of the city and our citizens.
Our advisory board and I will always support and fully support our first responders and, in particular, do everything in our power to protect them from personal financial judgments when working professionally. In addition, my administration, along with our council of city councils, has worked extremely hard to significantly increase the city’s reserve fund balance and does not want to risk those funds with a potentially unfavorable judgment. So today’s decision ends this litigation and the uncertainty for everyone.
As I said in the past, this was a tragic situation for everyone involved, and again on behalf of
I extend my condolences to the City of Southaven, Kelli Goode and the family.
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