Aaron Bailey family receives $650,000 settlement from Indianapolis

Show Caption Hide Caption IMPD officers will keep jobs: Reactions to board decision on officers who shot Aaron Bailey Hear reactions after the Civilian Police Merit Board made its decision that the two IMPD officers who fatally shot Aaron Bailey will keep their jobs.

The family of a man fatally shot by two police officers after a traffic stop last year received $650,000 to settle its civil court case against the city of Indianapolis.

The settlement also includes an agreement by the city to continue training Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers on how to lessen confrontations.

The terms of the settlement between Aaron Bailey's family and the city were disclosed Tuesday. The settlement was reached Monday.

Seeking peace: Community forum will talk Indianapolis violence

Interference from parents: Ex-Carmel coach Tod Windlan blames expectations of 'unicorns and rainbows' for dismissal

Bailey's family issued a statement Tuesday afternoon through its attorney, saying the case has been "a long and difficult process."

"The family of Aaron Bailey recognizes that successful de-escalation in police encounters requires cooperation (from) both officers and civilians," the statement said. "They hope the public will participate in the open forum, with the goal of stopping future needless deaths."

The statement said the family "extends its gratitude to the city of Indianapolis for their efforts to resolve this tragic situation."

"The Bailey family prays they and the city of Indianapolis can move on to a better future."

A representative of Mayor Joe Hogsett's office said the mayor did not plan on commenting at this time. The city's lawyer declined comment.

Bailey, 45, was fatally shot by IMPD officers Carlton J. Howard and Michal P. Dinnsen after he fled a traffic stop June 29. They said they believed he was reaching for a gun.

He was shot four times in the back. No weapon was found.

The officers were later cleared of criminal or procedural wrongdoing.

An attorney for the officers said they were pleased the lawsuit was settled with no finding of wrongdoing, as well.

"Although each of the independent entities that reviewed this unfortunate incident ‎found no improper use of force, we recognize that the city has the right to settle lawsuits as it sees fit based upon avoidance of expense and uncertainty," a written statement from John Kautzman said.

In addition to the $650,000 cash award and the agreement to continue training, the settlement reached in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana also contains two promises from IMPD Chief Bryan Roach.

Roach agreed to visit with the Bailey family sometime in the next 30 days.

And when IMPD begins training officers on how to de-escalate confrontations with the public, three sessions will be open to the public to learn about the specifics.

The city, IMPD and the two officers were named as defendants in the lawsuit.

Even with the civil case's completion, Roach said a feeling of closure remains out of reach for the officers and the Bailey family.

Bailey's death will remain pervasive for the department, Roach said.

"As an organization, we still hear about Michael Taylor, Leonard Barnett, and the names continue to come up," Roach said of other controversial fatal police shootings. "It's always going to be on our minds and probably rightly so."

What Roach hopes for is a relief for the officers and the Bailey family from having to relive the details of June 29 through several administrative and court proceedings.

"It gives both parties an opportunity to now move forward in a sense of what did we learn, how can we get better, and how can we improve our relationship with the community," Roach said. "Now we can move toward kind of bringing everybody together with a sense of hope and a desire from all parties so that something like this can be avoided in the future if at all possible."

Taylor was a local teenager who was fatally shot in 1987 while handcuffed in the back of a police car. In 2000 the city paid $1.9 million to settle a civil case.

Barnett was a 25-year-old who was identified as a robbery suspect moments after a Taco Bell holdup in 1990. He was fatally shot by a police officer who thought he was reaching for a gun, but no weapon was found. Barnett's family unsuccessfully sued for $3.5 million in damages.

Police said Bailey fled a traffic stop before speeding down streets and crashing his car. IMPD officers Howard and Dinnsen said that as they approached, they believed Bailey reached for a gun. The officers said they fired after he turned toward Howard.

Last October a special prosecutor cleared Howard and Dinnsen of criminal charges. St. Joseph County Prosecutor Kenneth P. Cotter said there was insufficient evidence to refute the officers' statements that they feared for their lives when they shot Bailey.

Erica Bailey, Aaron's daughter, said at the time that the "system has failed" her family.

Last month the Civilian Police Merit Board voted 5-2 that the officers had not violated department policy or training and would keep their jobs. Chief Roach had called for the officers to be fired.

African-American groups were outraged at the merit board's decision, which exacerbated years-long divides between police officers and an increasingly distrustful portion of the city and led to calls for reform.

Mark Alesia at (317) 444-6311. Follow him on Twitter: @markalesia.