A former police officer who
claimed he was fired for not shooting an armed black suspect during a
standoff has settled a wrongful termination suit with his former
department for $175,000 (£126,000).
“At the end of the day, I’m happy to put this chapter of my life to
bed,” said Stephen Mader, 27, in a statement. He was also granted a
pledge that his former employer would not prevent him from obtaining a
new job in law enforcement elsewhere.
Mr Mader was the first officer to respond to an incident, when he arrived at a home in Weirton, West Virginia,
on 6 May 2016, where he found Ronald Williams, 23, distraught and
wanting to commit “suicide by cop,” according to his lawsuit. Williams
pleaded with Mr Mader to shoot him. However, after determining that
Williams did not pose an immediate threat to him or fellow officers,
despite holding a gun, he tried to negotiate with him.
Mr Mader pleaded with Williams, who replied “just shoot me”. Even as
he attempted to de-escalate the situation, Williams pleaded repeatedly:
“Just shoot me.” But, as Mr Mader was attempting to calm him, two more
Weirton police officers arrived on the scene and almost immediately,
shot and killed Williams. Williams' gun soon turned out to be unloaded.
Mr Mader, an Iraq and Afghanistan
war veteran, received a termination of employment letter 10 days later.
The letter claimed he had failed to respond to the threat. “The
unfortunate reality of police work is that making any decision is better
than making no decision at all,” it read.
The City of Weirton defended the firing at the time. They said Mr
Mader had worsened the situation by cursing at Williams and in two other
incidents wrongly searched a vehicle without a warrant and contaminated
a crime scene.
Mr Mader disagreed and filed a suit alleging wrongful termination.
“No police officer should ever lose their job – or have their name
dragged through the mud – for choosing to talk to, rather than shoot a
fellow citizen,” Mr Mader’s attorney Timothy O’Brien said after the
settlement.
After filing his suit, the city argued that Mr Mader was actually
terminated for two other prior incidents and not for refraining from
shooting Williams. However, the claim didn’t match the content of the
termination letter, which directly and repeatedly criticised Mr Mader
for not shooting.
The city said in a statement
that the decision to settle was made by its insurance provider and that
it stood by its decision to fire Mr Mader, who now works as a truck
driver.
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