Wilmington reaches $1.5M settlement in police killing of man in wheelchair

The city of Wilmington has agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of a black man shot to death by police while sitting in his wheelchair.

The settlement announced Friday involves the September 2015 shooting of 28-year-old Jeremy McDole, which was captured on a bystander’s cell phone video.

Officials say the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by the city or its police officers, nor a concession by the plaintiffs that their claims were unfounded.

Police confronted McDole, who was paralyzed in a 2005 shooting, after receiving a 911 call about a man with a gun. A bystander’s cellphone footage shows officers repeatedly telling McDole to drop his weapon and raise his hands and McDole reaching for his waist area before shots erupt.