WALNUT CREEK — The city has agreed to pay $4 million to settle a lawsuit by the family of Miles Hall, a Black 23-year-old Walnut Creek resident killed by police officers last year.
The settlement will end a lawsuit filed last September by civil rights attorney John Burris on behalf of Hall’s family alleging that officers did not properly de-escalate the encounter despite knowing he suffered from mental illness.
The lawsuit claimed 23-year-old Hall’s death was preventable when police responded June 2, 2019 to 911 calls from Hall’s family members. Hall died later that day after being shot by two of the five officers who went to the home.
“No amount of money brings justice to them, to this ongoing nightmare they’re having.” Burris said in an interview Friday. “But the settlement at least allows them to put this portion to rest. This is one step toward closure.”
In a statement, city leaders confirmed the $4 million settlement, with City Attorney Noah Blechman noting, “We recognize that protracted litigation is not in the best interest of anyone involved.”
The statement adds “both parties agree that this agreement shall not constitute an admission of liability or fault by any employees of the City.”
Hall’s family, friends, neighbors and other supporters have persistently questioned the use of force by police since he was killed, attending city council meetings and community rallies to call for changes to how the city responds to people having mental health crises, as Hall was on the day he was killed.
Hall’s mother, Taun Hall, had warned both police and neighbors about her son’s mental illness well before that episode. She said police had encouraged her to call for help in a crisis and indicated they would handle it appropriately.
When she and Miles’ grandmother called police on June 2, 2019, five officers responded to the area near the Hall home on Sandra Court and found Miles Hall carrying a metal rod — city officials call it a pry bar, while his family has said it was a garden tool. Police say they first tried to stop him by shooting non-lethal bean bags when he refused to set it down. Body camera footage from the officers show Hall collapsing as police shoot him from the side.
While his family has said they believe he was running past officers in the direction of his home, the city’s statement issued Friday contends that Hall “ignored” police commands and ran toward the officers.
The settlement doesn’t put an end to the matter. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office is still investigating the case, an office spokesman confirmed Friday.
Meanwhile, the shooting’s impact continues to reverberate around the city, with Hall family supporters calling for it and other cities to change how they respond to mental health crises.
“This really highlighted how police deal with the mentally impaired,” Burris said Friday.
“This was a family who tried to do everything right,” he said of their efforts to warn police and neighbors about Hall’s mental illness. “And even with all that, their son was killed.”
Walnut Creek’s statement noted that its city leaders have been meeting with friends of the Hall family to get their input on steps going forward. The statement also says the city “will continue work underway to identify regional delivery gaps in mental health services,” including by reaching out to the county and neighboring cities to develop systems for responding to mental health crises.
But those efforts are still early in their stages, and Hall’s family and supporters continue to push for what they want: a non-police response to mental health crises that is available 24 hours per day. Additionally, they want the city to include the input of city residents when it chooses its next police chief, as Chief Tom Chaplin prepares to retire.
Their efforts have resonated nationally, as the movement for public safety reform continues, Burris said. “These families are real advocates.”