ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – The family of a man who suffered from schizophrenia and was shot and killed by Albuquerque police officers has settled for $6 million.
In 2011, APD officers shot Christopher Torres, 27, multiple times after a fight in the backyard of his northwest Albuquerque home.
The Torres family won a wrongful death lawsuit in state court and the payout was capped at $400,000.
The case then went to federal court, where there is no limit and the family settled for $6 million.
Stephen Torres, Christopher’s father, said his immediate reaction is that he’s relieved.
“This was never about money. We achieved what we wanted, what we set out to do,” Torres told KRQE News 13. “Christopher was not the one at fault,” he said, noting the judge’s ruling in state court.
“From the start, it was all about vindicating Christopher’s name,” he said.
Jessica Hernandez, city attorney, said the settlement ends all litigation related to the shooting that occurred four years ago.
“Neither side is saying we’re right, we’re wrong. It’s a solution so we can just move forward,” Hernandez said.
In the state lawsuit, a judge found there’s no evidence that Torres grabbed a gun from a detective’s holster and no evidence that he threatened a detective.
The two police officers, Detectives Christopher Brown and Richard Hilger, shot Torres in the back three times. Both men are still on the APD force.
