$8.5M to Illinois Mom of Teen Shot in Back by Officer

A Cook County jury has awarded $8.5 million in damages to the mother of an 18-year-old shot in the back and killed by a Chicago, Ill., police officer.

Aaron Harrison’s death in 2007 helped focus public scrutiny on allegations of police misconduct.

Jurors’ decision late Thursday suggests they accepted Harrison was unarmed and that someone planted a gun next to him after he fell.

The law firm representing the family, Cochran & Montgomery, said Friday the decision “vindicates” those who long asserted Harrison was a victim.

Officer John Fitzgerald contended he fired when Harrison pulled a gun as he sought to elude police. The Independent Police Review Authority in 2009 found the shooting justified.