Downey To Pay $4.5M Settlement To Family Of Unarmed Man Killed By Police
DOWNEY (CBSLA.com) — The city of Downey will pay a $4.5 million settlement to the family of an unarmed man who was shot and killed by police in 2011.
Michael Nida, 31, and his wife, Nailey, were headed to Nida's birthday celebration on Oct. 22 when they were confronted by officers reportedly looking for two armed robbers at a Bank of America ATM on Imperial Highway.
Police said Nida was initially cooperative, but then ran away.
After law enforcement caught up with him and put him on the ground, authorities said he jumped up and began to run again.
Officer Steve Gilley said he thought Nida was armed when he shot the father of four in the back.
KCAL9's Randy Paige said the Los Angeles County district attorney reviewed the case and concluded Gilley was justified in using force because he reasonably feared Nida was armed and dangerous.
Nida's sister, Terri Teramura, said the family is still searching for justice.
"The (DA) said 'justified,' but Downey is willing to pay for something that went wrong? We're hoping the Department of Justice looks at this and reevaluates the DA's decision," she said.
Teramura said the settlement money will be used to take care of Nida's children.
