Dan Ficker

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The mother of a man shot and killed in 2011 by a Cleveland police officer in Parma said she believes the officers responsible "got away with murder" and feels that justice has not been done in the case despite a $2.25 million settlement with the city.

Bernadette Rolen, the mother of Dan Ficker, said she wished the officers faced criminal charges for the death of her son and is disappointed the officers will not receive formal discipline because they have since left the department.

"They got away with murder," she said Friday during a news conference at her attorney's downtown office. "They're still out there on the street. He's still out there. He's still living his life."

The city of Cleveland settled the four-year lawsuit with Ficker's family on Thursday. It's one of the largest settlements the city has ever reached in a police misconduct case. The settlement must be approved by the Cuyahoga County Probate Court.

Rolen said the length of the lawsuit, which included several appeals, took a toll on the family. She said she's glad they stuck through the years of litigation.

"It was eye-opening," said Ficker's father, Dennis Ficker said. "Five-and-a-half years of this -- that's a long time."

Civil rights attorney Terry Gilbert said the lawsuit will ensure that Ficker's two teenage children will have money for an education.

"It's a good day, but it's a bitter day to reflect on what happened," Gilbert said.

In the wake of the shooting, the police department enacted a new policy that mandates officers must have a supervisor with them if they go into another city.

Gilbert said the July 4, 2011 confrontation between Ficker and Cleveland police officer Matthew Craska was unprecedented.

Ficker, 27, went to a party at officer David Mindek's house the day before the shooting. He was accused by Mindek's wife of stealing her jewelry.

Mindek, who was off duty, and Craska, who was on duty, went to Ficker's home to talk to him. A struggle ensued, and Craska tried to arrest Ficker on a charge of assaulting a police officer.

The struggled ended with Craska shooting Ficker in the chest.

A grand jury cleared Craska of criminal liability. Mindek was acquitted of a dereliction of duty charge after prosecutors accused him of failing to help Craska make an arrest.

"I've never heard of anything like this. I've seen a lot of bad cops do a lot of bad things, but I've never seen anything like this," said Gilbert, who has a history of filling lawsuits against the Cleveland police department. "But I've never seen a situation where cops engage in vigilantism."

Ficker was a mechanic with two teenage children and a fiance he lived with in Parma when he was killed, his mother said.

"He was a family man," Rolen said. "He brought a lot our life."

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