Baltimore city leaders will vote this week on a proposed $6.4 million deal that would settle all civil claims from this year’s death of Freddie Gray, the city said Tuesday.
The family of Gray, who suffered a fatal spinal injury while being transported in a Baltimore police van in April, reached the proposed deal with city attorneys, a source close to the family said.
The city’s Board of Estimates, a five-person panel that includes Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, will vote on the proposal Wednesday morning.
If approved, the deal would close the civil claims chapter of a case that sparked days of unrest in the city of more than 600,000 people.
Six Baltimore police officers still face criminal charges in connection with Gray’s death.
But the settlement, if approved, “would resolve all civil claims related to the city of Baltimore, the Baltimore Police Department, individual Baltimore police officers, and any other persons or institutions who might be deemed responsible for the death of Mr. Gray,” the city said in a statement Tuesday.
“The proposed settlement agreement … should not be interpreted as a judgment on the guilt or innocence of the officers facing trial,” Rawlings-Blake said. “This settlement is being proposed solely because it is in the best interest of the city, and avoids costly and protracted litigation that would only make it more difficult for our city to heal and potentially cost taxpayers many millions more in damages.”
The Board of Estimates is expected to vote during a meeting that starts at 9 a.m. ET Wednesday. The board, which is in charge of the city’s fiscal policies, includes the mayor, the City Council president, the comptroller, the city solicitor and the director of public works.
