The home of a 16-year-old woman who was holding a knife when she was fatally shot by a police officer in August reached a Pound 2.1 million lawsuit with the largest city in Alaska. The settlement, according to the business of Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, came after a conference between police chief Sean Case and Easter Leafa’s home, according to a statement released on Thursday. The terms of the agreement were never made public. Darryl Thompson, a family lawyer, confirmed the settlement amount that the town had announced. The Leafa community was devastated by the death of Easter Sally. They were all, unfortunately, present for this tragic incident and were powerless to stop it from occurring, Thompson said in a speech. They “have handled their lost with dignity and grace and are appreciative that this stage of recovery has ended for them.” State prosecutors made the decision to not file criminal charges against the officer who fatally shot Leafa next fall, arguing that the use of lethal force was legal. According to a report on the findings released by the state Office of Special Prosecutions, one of Leafa’s sisters claimed that she was” trying to stab her with a knife” because she had not done what Leafa wanted. The official “reasonably believed” that the woman was about to assault him or another officer, according to the report. The girl later testified to the police that she was aware that Easter Leafa was attempting to kill the officers, according to the report. One of the seven persons who were shot by police in Anchorage in about three months last year was Leafa. She recently relocated from American Samoa and was still studying English, according to her home. Anyone involved in this occurrence should be kept from having to go back to court, LaFrance said. She thanked the Leafa community for their “discipline to promote healing, for themselves, and the entire community.” LaFrance added that it is her responsibility to make sure police officers have the resources and support they need given that they “have difficult and often thankless jobs”
