San Diego to Pay $30M to Family of Teen Fatally Shot by Police in 'Catastrophic Failure' of Policing

San Diego is set to pay a record-breaking $30 million to the family of Konoa Wilson, a 16-year-old Black teenager who was fatally shot by police in a downtown train station last January. The proposed settlement, which would be one of the largest in U.S. history, has been added to the city council's agenda. According to family attorney Nick Rowley, the shooting was a 'catastrophic failure of policing.' Surveillance footage shows Wilson running away from someone who pulled a gun and fired at him. As he exited the train station, he encountered Officer Daniel Gold, who fired two shots at Wilson without warning. Wilson's family alleges that the officer committed racial violence by shooting him in the back. The incident sparked widespread outrage, and Wilson's family filed a lawsuit against the city and Gold. If approved, the settlement would exceed the $27 million paid to the family of George Floyd, whose murder by a police officer in 2020 sparked a nationwide racial reckoning. Officer Gold, a rookie at the time, remains on an administrative assignment pending the results of a case review by the city attorney. The settlement will be paid from the Public Liability Fund. A spokesperson for the San Diego Police Department declined to comment. This settlement highlights the need for police reform and accountability in the United States. As family attorney Nick Rowley stated, 'A 16-year-old boy was running for his life. He was not a threat and not a suspect, yet he was shot in the back by a police officer who only saw him for one second before deciding to pull the trigger.'