ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska’s largest city has reached a $2.1 million settlement with the family of a 16-year-old girl who was holding a knife last August when she was fatally shot by a police officer.
Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance’s office said in a statement Thursday the settlement followed a meeting between Police Chief Sean Case and members of Easter Leafa’s family. Terms of the agreement were not released.
An attorney for the family, Darryl Thompson, confirmed the settlement amount announced by the city.
“The Leafa family was devastated by the loss of young Easter Sally. Sadly, they were all there to witness this tragic event and were powerless to stop it from happening,” Thompson said in a statement. “They have handled their loss with dignity and grace and are grateful that this phase of the healing is behind them.”
State prosecutors last fall announced they would not file criminal charges against the officer who fatally shot Leafa, concluding that the use of deadly force was legally justified.
Officers had responded to a call for help placed by one of Leafa’s sisters, who said Leafa was “trying to stab her with a knife” because she had not done what Leafa wanted, according to a report on the findings released by the state Office of Special Prosecutions.
The report determined the officer “reasonably believed” he or another officer was about to be assaulted by the girl.
The sister later told investigators “she knew that Easter Leafa was trying to give the knife to the officers,” the report said.
Leafa was one of seven people shot by police in Anchorage in a roughly three-month span last year. She had recently moved from American Samoa and was still learning English, her family has said.
“We want to protect everyone involved from having to re-live this incident in court,” LaFrance said. She expressed gratitude to the Leafa family “for their desire to prioritize healing, for themselves and the whole community.”
LaFrance also noted that police officers “have difficult and sometimes thankless jobs,” and said it’s her responsibility to ensure they have the support and resources they need.