A settlement has been reached in the Mubarak Soulemane civil case against the state of Connecticut and state troopers, according to a family attorney.
A settlement has been reached in the Mubarak Soulemane civil case against the state of Connecticut and state troopers, according to a family attorney.
Attorney Mark Arons, who represents the Soulemane family, said they are very pleased with the result, but they prefer not to share the specific dollar amount awarded.
Connecticut State Trooper Brian North shot Soulemane on Jan. 15, 2020, after the teen displayed a knife inside an AT&T store in Norwalk, stole his Lyft driver's vehicle and led police on a high-speed pursuit, according to authorities.
Troopers were able to box in Soulemane in West Haven, and an officer shattered the window.
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During North's trial earlier this year, he was found not guilty of manslaughter. He was also found him not guilty of lesser charges including second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
The jury was tasked with deciding if North acted in extreme indifference to human life when he shot Soulemane seven times.
When North testified in his defense, he said he fired at Soulemane because he believed other officers were in danger.
"It was like an oh my god moment..I couldn’t see the West Haven officer..I was worried he was going to be stabbed," North testified.
During the trial, Inspector General Robert Devlin focused the jurors’ attention on body-worn camera footage and argued that if North was acting in defense of other officers, why did he not communicate that to his superiors as the footage was capturing his brief statement?
After North's aquittal, the Soulemane family spoke publically about the result of the criminal trial and a justice they can never have.
“The real justice would be my brother being here today, and not being killed so ruthlessly the way he was," said Mariyann Soulemane, Mubarak's sister.
The civil case against the West Haven police officers who also participated in the incident is ongoing.
