Family Of Anton Black, Who Died In Police Custody, Reaches $5 Million Partial Settlement
In a lawsuit comparing the case to that of George Floyd, the family accused area police and Maryland’s medical examiner of wrongdoing.
By Phillip Jackson Aug 8, 2022, 06:12 PM EDT
The family of Anton Black, a 19-year-old Black man from a rural town in Maryland who died in police custody in 2018, reached a $5 million partial settlement and an agreement for there to be institutional changes to three municipalities’ police departments.
Black’s family filed a lawsuit in 2020, noting that George Floyd and Black had both died because police had pinned them to the ground and deprived them of oxygen.
As a part of the settlement agreement, three townships in Maryland’s Eastern Shore will have to institute several changes in policing, including improving policies on use of force when handling mental health emergencies, deescalation training, and reporting of civilians complaints made against officers.