US policing Police officer fired for not shooting black suspect wins $175,000 Stephen Mader, a former officer in West Virginia, sued after he was fired for not shooting a black suspect during a standoff in 2016 As part of the settlement, Stephen Mader, center, was also granted a pledge that his former employer would not prevent him from obtaining a new job in law enforcement elsewhere.
A former police officer who alleged he was fired for not shooting a black suspect during a standoff has settled a wrongful termination suit with his former department for $175,000.
Mader was the first responding officer to a 2016 call involving RJ Williams, a 23-year-old black man believed to be suicidal.
West Virginia police officer sues after being fired for not shooting black man Read more.
“The unfortunate reality of police work is that making any decision is better than making no decision at all,” it read.
“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,” Mader’s attorney Timothy O’Brien said after the settlement.
This claim did not square with termination letter, however, which directly and repeatedly chastised Mader for not shooting. »