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Lawyer: $780K Deal Holds Police Accountable For Girl Shot
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – An attorney for a girl shot in the leg when a Columbus policeman fired at a dog says the family’s $780,000 settlement with the city holds police accountable for an “error in judgment.”
Then-4-year-old Ava Ellis was shot in June 2015 at a Whitehall home. Police said the officer fired in defense at a charging dog, but Ava’s family contended the roughly 40-pound bulldog mix was retreating inside.
Columbus City Council recently approved the settlement. Family attorney Michael Wright says city officials also assured him officers will have training aimed at preventing another such shooting.
Her parents say Ava is healing from another leg surgery. They say the shooting made her wary of emergency responders, but an officer from a different department restored her trust by periodically checking on her.