A $4 million settlement was approved Friday in a civil rights case involving the death of Miles Hall in Walnut Creek in June of last year, city officials announced.
Hall was killed in an encounter with police June 2, 2019, after his family called police to tell them he was running around the neighborhood behaving erratically. Police apparently knew Hall suffered from a mental illness. He had a pointed crowbar with him that city officials said was nearly 5-feet long and weighed 13.4 pounds.
Police officers called Hall toward them and then told him to stop, which he did for a moment. Then he changed directions in what his family said was an effort to run past police. Police tried less-lethal beanbag shots, but Hall did not stop, and officers killed him.
“There are lessons to be learned after any use of deadly force, and the City and Police Department are exploring and working to expand non-law enforcement options for responding to someone will mental illness,” city spokeswoman Betsy Burkhart said.
“The Police Department is also expanding mental health response and crisis intervention training,” she said.
This fiscal year, new spending will include $100,000 to help pay for a pilot to increase the presence of mobile crisis response teams in the county, Burkhart added.
City officials said multiple people had called 911 regarding Hall that day. When asked whether police will keep responding to situations like Hall’s, Burkhart said police will continue to respond to 911 calls.
She said we agree someone other than police should respond to mental health crises, except when someone is violent.
The settlement means both parties agree that neither the city nor its employees are admitting liability or fault for Hall’s death.
