The City of Cincinnati has arrived at a $1.45 million settlement with the family of Quandavier Hicks, a 22-year-old who was shot and killed by police in his Northside apartment in 2015. This settlement comes more than a decade after the incident, which sparked a wrongful death lawsuit asserting a violation of Hicks's Fourth Amendment rights due to how officers entered his home, as reported by The Cincinnati Enquirer.
According to a press release from City Manager Sheryl Long, the city decided to settle "while balancing the needs and resources of our Law department, the minimization of financial risk, and the legal options available to us." Long went on to describe the choice to settle as a "difficult decision," but ultimately "the best one" for the city, an opinion echoed by Cincinnati City Councilman Seth Walsh, who intends to vote for the settlement, according to FOX19 NOW. The settlement amount is pending Council appropriation and explicitly releases the city and its officers from any liability, without admitting to any wrongdoing.
When police arrived at Hicks' residence over a report of menacing, officers claimed Hicks threatened to kill a couple who accused him of theft. The situation rapidly escalated, leading to Hicks' death after an officer shot him in the chest when they alleged he pointed a rifle at them, as WLWT noted. This settlement does not come lightly, as the case had been scheduled for trial in November 2025, which did not proceed.
The family's attorney, J. Robert Linneman, mentioned to The Cincinnati Enquirer that while no amount of money could compensate for the loss of a loved one, the family is "satisfied that they have vindicated Quandavier." The head of the Cincinnati police union, Ken Kober, described the settlement as a business decision, given the age of the case and the retirement status of the involved officers, and appreciated the city administration's acknowledgment of the officers' correctness in their actions, in a statement to FOX19 NOW.
