A St. Louis family has agreed to a settlement of nearly $1.7 million to resolve a wrongful-death lawsuit over the fatal police shooting of 24-year-old Cortez Bufford, who was gunned down in a dark alley off Bates Street in December 2019.
According to STLtoday, Bufford was fatally shot near the 500 block of Bates Street and Virginia Avenue on December 12, 2019, in the Carondelet neighborhood, with a gangway located between 533 and 535 Bates Street identified as the scene. Photographer Robert Cohen captured images of the aftermath, and a death-investigation scene was located near Bates and Vermont Avenue.
A pedestrian check involving Bufford took place at a BP gas station at 504 Bates Street.
The Family's Perspective
Bufford's parents believed police had harassed him, and his father spoke publicly about the case.
An account of the shooting says eight shots were fired, and Bufford was hit five times, possibly six, according to CaseMine.
Tammy and Antoine Bufford filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit on December 8, 2022.
A History That Shaped the Encounter
Bufford's fear of police did not come from nowhere. In April 2014, when Bufford was 18, an officer was recorded on dashcam saying “We're red right now” before disabling the camera during a traffic-stop arrest that involved Tasers and physical force, according to CBS News. Bufford sued the city over that incident and received a $20,000 settlement in 2015, with the officer involved facing disciplinary action.
Bufford was killed during a deployment involving the SLMPD Mobile Reserve Unit, a hot spot unit.
A Broader Pattern of Unresolved Cases
At the time of Bufford's death, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office, then led by Kim Gardner, had a backlog of fatal police-shooting cases awaiting determinations. Bufford's family waited for answers in the case.
For the Buffords, the $1.7 million settlement offers a measure of financial resolution nearly seven years after their son's death.
