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City council OKs $365,000 settlement in wrongful death lawsuit against Denver police

The settlement against the Denver Police Department Monday comes after police killed one man and injured another in 2018 while mistakenly pursuing an escaped inmate.

DENVER — The Denver City Council approved a $365,000 settlement against the Denver Police Department Monday after police killed one man and injured another in 2018 while mistakenly pursuing who they thought was an escaped jail inmate.

The settlement was approved unanimously without comment from council members. The $365,000 will go to the victims’ families, with payments to be delegated to Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC, Bryan and Terrill Law PLLC and Denver Probate Court.

The fatal incident happened on March 19, 2018. According to police reports, officers were staking out a house in Aurora looking for escaped inmate Mauricio Venzor-Gonzalez when they saw two men leave the home and drive away in an SUV.

Officers with the Aurora and Denver police departments chased the SUV, but the driver would not pull over. 

RELATED: 2 Missouri jail escapees arrested in Denver homeless shelter, Arvada Walmart

RELATED: 4 deputies under investigation after police say inmate nearly escaped

Two Denver officers, Susan Mercado and Austin Barela, shot at the moving vehicle, saying they believed Venzor-Gonzalez was inside and the occupants were rummaging around for a weapon. The SUV then crashed in an embankment, where officers shot at it again, now including Officer William Bohm.

Read the full article in The Denver Gazette

> Watch the above video preview of the story: Denver City Council to vote on settlement in 2018 mistaken identity death

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