Two Camden County towns have agreed to pay $275,000 to the estate of a man shot by police in 2012 after he threatened to commit suicide.

Michael Wood, 37, placed a series of 911 calls on the night of April 26, 2012, in which he claimed he wanted to kill himself. He was staying in his brother's apartment in Bellmawr at the time.

Officers from Brooklawn and Bellmawr responded and one of the officers shot Wood as he was holding a knife.

Wood's sister, Deborah Wilson, filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of her brother's estate, naming both towns and the officers who responded to the call.

Wilson said her brother was very depressed and drunk that night and that police should have called in a trained crisis negotiator and used restraint in how they dealt with him.

In court testimony over the claims, the officers provided differing accounts of whether Wood, who was holding the 14-inch knife as officers pleaded with him to drop the weapon, posed an immediate threat. They also disagreed about weather Wood was agitated or calm.

As they knocked on the apartment door, dispatchers reported that their attempts to regain contact with Wood after his initial calls were unsuccessful and that their calls went straight to a voicemail message with a recording by his brother, Chris, stating, "Hi, it's Chris Wood. I'm dead ... You probably got the wrong number ..."

Police forced open the door and arrested Chris. At this point, Michael Wood called out from a bedroom indicating he was the one police wanted. An officer spotted Michael through the open bedroom door sitting on the floor and twisting the knife into his thigh.

Police spoke with him for several minutes before he closed the bedroom door. He emerged a few minutes later and the shooting soon followed.

Open public records advocate John Paff first reported on the settlement agreement.

Under the confidential deal, which was signed in June, the defendants admit no liability in the case.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.