Kent police killing of Black man leads to $4.4M settlement and push for new laws

Family members of a young man shot by Kent police in 2017 say the legal settlement they’ve reached with the city will help them heal. But they also say their journey is not over.

Giovonn Joseph-McDade's mother Sonia Joseph said at a press conference Thursday that her son’s death galvanized her to seek changes to the inquest process and state law.

“My journey through this horrifying, ugly process led me to the work on police reform,” she said.

She spoke in Kent’s Canterbury Park. As part of the $4.4 million settlement of a federal civil rights lawsuit, the city of Kent will place a bench there in Joseph-McDade’s memory. That’s where the 20-year old "took his last breath," his family said, after being shot in his car by Kent police in 2017.

City spokesperson Bailey Stober called the loss of life “tragic,” but said the city did not admit any wrongdoing as a result of the settlement.