Mother of teen killed by police to get $1 million

CLEVELAND (AP) — The city agreed to pay $1 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the mother of a teenager who was shot and killed by police.

Harriet Green said Friday the settlement, which contains no admission of guilt, still achieves justice for her son, Ricardo Mason, 16, who was shot on Aug. 27, 2002, while riding in a stolen car.

“Officers should protect us, not kill us,” Green said.

The city decided to settle because it did not want to leave the officers exposed to potential personal liability, said Law Director Robert Triozzi. The city continues to believe the officers’ version of how the shooting occurred, he said.

Two officers in a cruiser chased the stolen car into an alley, where it hit a fence post.

Officer Matthew Baeppler shot the driver Malcolm Hoyle, 16, in the face. Officer Robert Taylor, who was struck by the car as it backed up, shot and killed Mason as he fired on Hoyle, Triozzi said.

The two officers had been cleared of wrongdoing by a grand jury. Hoyle, who survived his gunshot wound, was sentenced to five years’ probation in 2003 on a charge of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors had said he was indicted because his actions led to Mason being shot.

After his sentencing, Hoyle violated probation and was sent to prison for one year.