Settlement Reached in San Diego Police Shooting Case

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego City Attorney’s Office has reached a $30 million settlement with the family of Conoa Wilson, a 16-year-old boy who was shot and killed by police last January. This payment marks one of the largest settlements in the U.S. related to a police-involved shooting.

On Tuesday morning, the City Council added the resolution for the settlement with Wilson’s family to its agenda.

“What happened to Conoa was a catastrophic police failure,” stated Nick Rowley, the family’s lawyer, in a message to City News Service.

He went on to emphasize the circumstances of the shooting, mentioning that “a 16-year-old boy was running for his life.” Rowley argued that the shooting was unjust since Wilson posed no threat or was even a suspect at the time; he was shot in the back after a fleeting encounter with an officer.

If approved, this settlement would surpass the previous $27 million agreement made by Minneapolis in the case of George Floyd, whose death in May 2020 spurred nationwide discussions on racial injustice.

Footage from surveillance and police body-worn cameras captured Wilson fleeing from an individual who had drawn a gun and opened fire at the downtown train station on January 28. As Wilson escaped the station, he came across Officer Daniel Gold.

In the family’s lawsuit, they claim that Gold, without any prior warning, fired two shots at Wilson as he ran past, striking him in the upper body.

According to legal documents, it wasn’t until after Wilson had fallen that Gold identified himself as a member of the San Diego Police Department. The lawsuit argues that the incident was an act of racial violence, asserting that the officer’s actions were unjustified.

Tragically, Wilson was pronounced dead at UC San Diego Health Medical Center less than an hour later.

As it stands, the settlement would be funded through the Public Accountability Fund.