Parents of Man Slain by Officer Settle Case

The parents of a schizophrenic man shot and killed by a Hawthorne police officer hours after escaping from the psychiatric ward of a local hospital have accepted $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed this year against the city and several employees.

Attorneys for the parents of Terrence Williams, 20, said the couple would have agreed to a settlement of $750,000 if the city would have fired Officer Joseph Luper, who killed their son outside his home after a scuffle in which Luper suffered a broken nose. The city, however, refused to fire Luper.

The district attorney’s office, which has been investigating the shooting, has not decided whether to prosecute Luper or his partner, Paul Neitzert. Neither officer has been disciplined by the Hawthorne Police Department.