Autumn Steele’s Family Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The tragic death of Autumn Steele in 2015 has weighed heavily on her surviving family members. But they gained some solace this week as their wrongful death suit against the city of Burlington and the Burlington Police Department was settled out of court.
This brings a legal end to the matter, and hopefully some emotional closure for the family.
According to the Gazette the suit claimed "Burlington Police Officer Jesse Hill fired his gun in an “unreasonable, unnecessary and reckless manner,” on Jan. 6, 2015, striking and killing Autumn Steele in her front yard. The family asserts the Burlington Police Department did not properly train Hill or provide supervision in the use of deadly force.
Hill, responding to a domestic abuse call to the Steeles’ house, found the couple in a verbal argument in the front yard. Gabriel Steele was holding their three-year-old son at the time, the lawsuit states. Police have said the Steeles’ dog, Sammy, attacked Hill, which caused him to accidentally shoot Autumn Steele.
No criminal charges were filed against the officer, and he has since returned to work. The financial terms of the settlement were not given.
[source: the Gazette]