On Friday, jurors decided that police used excessive force against demonstrators, infringing on their constitutional rights, during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd 2 years ago, and ordered the city to pay a total of $14 monetary damages to a group of 12 who sued.
After roughly four hours of deliberation, the jury of two men and six women, mostly white and chosen from Colorado, returned its decision. Three weeks of evidence and testimony, including police and protester video of incidents, led to the verdict.
Lawyers involved believed it was the first trial in a lawsuit challenging officer tactics during the 2020 protests that erupted around the nation over the police killing of Floyd and other Black people.
The protesters who sued were shot at or hit by everything from pepper spray to a Kevlar-bag filled with lead shot fired from a shotgun.
Zach Packard, who was hit in the head by the shotgun blast and ended up in the intensive care unit, received the largest damage amount — $3 million.
During closing arguments, one of the protesters’ lawyers, Timothy Macdonald, encouraged jurors to deliver a message to officers in Denver and everywhere else by finding the city accountable.
“Hopefully, what police departments will take from this is a jury of regular citizens takes these rights very seriously,” he said after the verdict.
According to the department, five Denver police officers have been reprimanded for their behavior during the protests. Another officer, who was new and still on probation, was terminated during the protests after posting a photo on social media of himself and others dressed in tactical gear with the caption “Let’s start a riot.”
Officers’ aggressive responses to individuals protesting police brutality across the country have resulted in financial settlements, the resignation of police chiefs, and criminal charges.
Officials in Austin, Texas, have agreed to pay more than $13 million to protestors injured in May 2020, and 19 officers have been charged for their conduct against protesters. Last month, two Dallas police officers were charged for injuring demonstrators while using less lethal ammunition.
However, in 2021, a federal court dismissed the majority of the charges made by activists and civil liberties groups alleging that police forcibly removed demonstrators before then-President Donald Trump walked to a church near the White House for a photo op.
