Family of Woman Shot by Police Reaches $3M Settlement With Baltimore County

A $3 million settlement has been reached in the 2016 death of a Black woman shot by Baltimore County police after a standoff, a county official and attorneys for the woman’s family confirmed to a newspaper Wednesday.

The Baltimore Sun reports that the settlement comes five years after Korryn Gaines’ death and resolves claims brought by her parents, daughter and estate, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by the newspaper.

A county police officer shot the 23-year-old Gaines during a standoff at her Randallstown apartment in 2016, killing her and injuring her then-5-year-old son, Kodi.

Left unsettled are the legal claims brought by attorneys for Kodi, who was shot in the elbow and face and underwent surgeries for his injuries.

In 2018, a county jury awarded the Gaines family about $38 million, one of the largest verdicts ever against a Baltimore-area police department. Most of the jury’s award — $32 million was for Kodi. But the next year, a county judge overturned the jury’s decision, finding that the officer, Cpl. Royce Ruby, acted reasonably. Then, a Maryland appeals court ruled the judge erred in wiping out the jury award.

The jury had awarded about $5.4 million to the family members who have now settled with the county. That included $4.5 million to Gaines’ daughter, Karsyn; a total of $607,000 to her parents; and $300,000 to her estate.

The settlement had been reached in recent weeks but was not signed by all parties until Wednesday. It states that the plaintiffs have agreed to dismiss their claims, which “forever ends the Litigation.”